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TRAVELLING IN THE ASIATIC DESERTS. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. 


ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY OF TRAVEL 


CENTRAL ASIA 

TRAVELS IN 

CASHMERE, LITTLE TIBET 

AND 

CENTRAL ASIA 


COMPILED AND ARRANGED BY 


V 

BAYARD TAYLOR 


NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 
743 & 743 Broadway 
1881 


COPYRIGHT BY 
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 


1S31 



CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAGB 


The Countries of Central Asia 7 

CHAPTER II. 

Marco Polo in Central Asia IQ 

CHAPTER III. 

Modern Attempts at Exploration 4 ^ 

eJHAPTER IV. 

Vigne’s Journey to Cashmere 49 

CHAPTER V. 

The Valley of Cashmere ami the Ruins of Martund 69 

CHAPTER VI. 


Svinagur, the Capital of Ca:.hmere,— City, Environs, Shawls, 


and Inhahitanls 8l 

CHAP TER VIE 

Journey to Iskardo .and tlie Upi>er Indus lOO 

CHAl’lliK VIH. 

Journey to Eadak 122 

CHAPTER EX. 

Mr. Shaw’s Preparations to Explore Central Asia 140 

CHAPTER X. 

Journey to the Karakash River 157 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER XI. 

VAGB 

Detention at the Frontier 178 

CHAPTER XIL 

The March to Yarkand 201 

CHAPTER XHL 

Residence in Yarkand 239 

CHAPTER XIV. 

ITie Journey to Kashghar 259 

CHAPTER XV. 

Detention at Kashghar 282 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Return to Yarkand, and Second Residence there 315 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Crossing the Karakoram Pass, and End of the Journey 336 

POSTSCRIPT. 

The Conquest of Khiva 359 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, 


PAGB 


Travelling in the Asiatic Deserts - 


- 


- 


Frontispiece 

Primitive Agriculture of the 

East 



. 




- 


17 

A Well in the Desert 

. 



- 






• 

40 

The Brothers Schlagintvveit 









- 


47 

Mountain Scene near Cashmere 









- 

67 

Young Woman of Cashmere - 









. 


99 

Priests of Skerwuchun 

. 









- 

129 

Eastern Camel ... 











141 

Tibetan Man ... 











153 

Kirghiz Mother ... 











178 

Interior of a Turkoman Tent 

. 









- 

201 

Framework of Tent 









. 


2(J2 

Tent Completed ... 











204 

Turkoman Funeral ... 









. 


221 

Interior of a Yarkand House 

. 









. 

235 

The Shaghawal of Yarkand 









. 


239 

Musicians of Yarkand 

- 










25s 

Kalmouk Camel ... 









- 


265 

King Yakoob Beg 

- 









- 

290 

Head of Asiatic Camel - 









. 


3 " 

The Return to Yarkand - 

. 



. 


• 


. 


* 

321 

Turkoman Wedding Party 


- 





• 


. 


341 

A Persian Slave - 











359 


* '■ 





pPERTy 

PRIHGETOH ^ 
,RhC. FEB :ab2 )| 
THBOLOGIG&E^ 


TRAVELS IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA. 

T he name “ Central Asia” correctly describes, 
in a geographical sense, the heart of that 
continent. It is separated from the river-system 
of the Aral and Caspian Seas, on the west, by 
almost impassable mountain-ranges ; from the 
affluents of the Indus and Ganges, on the south, by 
the chain of the Kuen-liin, the rival of the Hima- 
layas, and from the rivers of China to the east- 
ward, by the great Desert of Gobi. A line drawn 
from Constantinople to Peking, and another from 
the latitude of Cape Comorin to that of the 
Polar Sea, bisecting the former line, would very 
nearly indicate the central portion of the region, 
as also of the continent. 

Here, — partly, perhaps, on account of its remote 
and nearly inaccessible situation, and also partly 
from concurrent traditions — many ethnologists 


8 


CE.XTA'AL ASJA. 


have placed the original cradle of the Aryan race. 
India was undoubtedly colonized by tribes descend- 
ing from the high plateaus to the northward, 
and the legends of the earlier Aryan inhabitants 
of Europe have been traced backwards, step by 
step, until they lose themselves among the laby- 
rinth of mountains from which descend the Oxus 
and the Jaxartes. The remarkable physical fea- 
tures of the region must have impressed themselves 
upon even the primitive inhabitants. The three 
inclosing mountain-chains, which form almost 
three sides of a square, rise to such an elevation 
that few of their passes are less than 18,000 feet 
above the sea. Above the western wall lies the 
table-land of Pamer, or Pamir, called by the 
natives, Bam-i-doonia or “ Roof of the World.” 
The fertile lands beyond those upper realms ot 
rock and snow and scanty summer pastures, can 
only be reached after many days of dangerous 
travel, where beasts of burden find no food, where 
water is rarely to be had, and where, even in 
summer, hurricanes of intense cold threaten to 
destroy all life in a few hours. 

Scarcely anything is known of the early history 
of this part of Asia. The armies of Ale.xander 
reached its western and southern frontiers, but 
neither crossed them nor brought back any satis- 
factory report of the land beyond. It was no doubt 
settled by one of the branches of the large Tartar 
family, and its primitive communications must 
have been with the region known as Soongaria, on 
the north, and the countries of Turkestan, or Inde- 


THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA. 


9 


pendent Tartary, on the west. It formed part of 
the temporary empire of Genghis Khan, and its 
later subjection to China was probably a result ol 
his conquest. Afterwards it was possessed by 
Tamerlane, and by his great grandson, Baber, the 
founder of the Mogul dynasty in India. Its subse- 
quent history very. much resembles that of western 
Turkestan, to the inhabitants of which its own are 
most nearly allied by blood, religion and habits. 
Small states, governed by petty chiefs, arose after 
the dismemberment of the Tartar empires, and con- 
tinued to exist, with the usual episodes of jealousy, 
assassination and war, until about a hundred years 
ago, when the whole region was again brought 
under Chinese rule. The recent revolution by 
which this rule was overthrown, has been the direct 
means of opening Central Asia to e.xplorers. 

A more than geographical interest, however, is 
now directed towards this region. For twenty 
years past Russia has possessed the whole of 
Soongaria, even to the grand dividing ridge of the 
Thian-Shan, and since 1867 she has added the 
former Khanate of Khokand on the west, be> on 1 
the table-land of Pamir, to her territory ; wdiile 
England, extending her sway from the south, over 
Cashmere and Ladak, virtually governs as far as 
the passes of the Karakoram and Kuen-Iiin chains, 
and the loftier peaks which feed the rivers of Yar- 
kand and Khoten. Between these two rival powers 
lies a warm and fertile land, commanding the roads 
to China and great Tibet. Hence the Russian 
merchants from the north and the English officials 


lO 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


fiom tlic south have lost no time in attempting to 
secure an influence, v/hich has no great present im- 
portance, but may affect the character of future 
events. Affghanistan and the little independent 
states scattered among the fastnesses of the Hin- 
doo-Koosh still intervene between England and 
the advance of Russia in Western, or Independent, 
Tartary ; but here, in Central Asia, by a sudden 
and most unexpected internal revolution, the inter- 
ests of the two great powers are for the first time 
brought face to face. 

This first encounter will have the character of a 
military reconnoissance. It may either lead to, or 
entirely avert, the great and final struggle for 
political supremacy in Asia, which the thoughtful 
statesmen of both countries seem to anticipate. It 
will, at least, bring into sharper contrast the differ- 
ence between the systems of annexation and gov- 
ernment, which each employs ; and these differen- 
ces are inherent in the character of the two races. 
Lieutenant von Heller, in an article entitled “ The 
Russians in Central Asia” — the most exact and 
impartial statement of the present situation which 
has yet appeared* — makes this parallel; “The 
Anglo-Saxons cannot be surpassed, where their 
task is to colonize virgin soil and create new cities 
and states by a free course of organization ; but 
the art of rendering barbaric and semi-barbaric 
tribes completely subject to them, to blend them- 
selves with such tribes by a strict and thorough 


Published in the Austrian Military AIa«azine, 1869. 


THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRA! ASIA. 


II 


process of amalgamation, as the Russians have 
accomplished with so much success along the whole 
southern frontier of their Asiatic possessions — this 
art is alien to the English nature. The Anglo- 
Saxon colonizes as did the Greek, the Russian as 
did the Roman. The pioneers of the latter are 
military colonies, not those squatters who, con- 
scious of their free, unrestricted individual force, 
feel at home beyond the limits of the civilization 
for which they break the way. Through a system 
of military colonies, the nomadic Tartars, Kal- 
mucks and Kirghizes are forced into the organiza- 
tion of the Russian state, accustomed to taxes and 
military service, and thus gradually Russianized. 
Within 25 years, the descendants of those fierce 
Sultans, who less than half a century ago still led 
the life of robbers, at the head of their hordes, 
along the Chinese and Siberian frontier, will be 
seen among the pliant military and court nobles of 
the Czar. 

Thus far, the English rule in India is based sim- 
ply upon force, and by force sustained. Notwith- 
standing the comparative order and security which 
have been established, the physical development 
of the country, the building of canals and railroads, 
the extension and protection of trade in every 
quarter, the native population has learned no loy- 
alty to the Government under which they live. 
The English officials are strangers and exiles, who 
never forget their homes. Even the commercial or 
agricultural colonists are only temporary, and few 
of them manifest, if they feel, any interest in having 


12 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


native ignorance enlightened or native wrongs abo- 
lished. There is like intermixture of the races, and 
even less social intercourse than an intelligent pol- 
icy would dictate. India, thus, is an extraneous 
possession, while Russian Tartary is grafted upon 
the national stock. 

On both sides also the means of communication 
are approaching each other. The English railways 
now extend from Bombay and Calcutta to the 
Upper Indus, while the Russians have projected a 
line from O.xenburg, on the Ural River, across the 
steppes into Turkestan. It is possible that a few 
years more may see an unbroken line of rail from 
St. Petersburg to the Oxus and the northern base 
of the Hindoo-Koosh. Although there is no near 
probability^ of any direct conflict, the natural im- 
pulsion, which both nations are compelled to fol- 
low, will gradually lead them to that point where 
their different systems of annexation will stand in 
direct opposition, and one must give way to the 
other. 

The tremendous mountain-chains which for so 
many centuries have shut out Central Asia from 
intercourse with the world, form nearly three sides 
of a square. The northern range, called the Thian- 
Shan, stretches eastward from the right angle 
which it makes with the western range or Belur 
Dagh, dividing the rivers which lose themselves 
in the desert of Lob from those which flow into 
the detached lakes of Russian Tartary. It is a 
great natural barrier, with passes 16,000 feet, and 
summits more than twenty thousand feet. The 


THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA. 


13 


Belur Dagh, upholding the great table-land of 
Pamir on the west, has an equal if not greater 
average elevation. At its southern extremity, 
where it merges into the Hindoo-Koosh, it makes 
nearly a right angle with the Karakoram range 
which divides the waters of the Indus from those 
of the rivers of Yarkand and Khoten. Many peaks 
of the Karakoram have an elevation of over 24,000 
feet, and one of them, the Dapsang, rises to the 
great height of 28,278 feet. The summit ridge of 
this chain, further to the eastward, sinks into an 
uneven table-land, about 19,000 feet above the sea, 
which attaches it to the parallel range of the 
Kiien-lun, which latter chain thus forms a continu- 
ation of the southern wall of Central Asia. 

The physical features of the region are thus de- 
scribed by Mr. Shaw: “East Toorkestan [the 

name now generally used] resembles an immense 
bay, open to the eastward, but inclosed by gigantic 
mountain ranges on all other sides. A desert 
thirty days’ journey in width lies before its mouth 
and divides it from China, which until recently pos- 
sessed the country. In this desert all the rivers of 
Toorkestan are swallowed up ; they end in marshes 
or lakes, or gradually disappear under the sand in 
broad jungles. At the north-western corner, 
between the Thian-Shan and the plateau of Pamir, 
there is a secondary bay, at the opening of which 
lie the cities of Yang-hissar and Kashghar, the 
latter the political capital of the country, as Yar- 
kand is the commercial capital. The great bay of 
Toorkestan also stretches out two long arms tc 


14 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the eastward, at the foot of the northern and 
southern mountain-chains, between them and the 
great desert, forming the province of Khoten in 
the south, and the provinces of Usch-Turfan, Aksu, 
Kutsha, &c., in the north. The inhabited territory 
has therefore the general form of a cresent, with 
its convex side to the mountains and its concave 
towards the desert. It has an average elevation of 
four to five thousand feet above the sea. 

“ The northern and southern boundaries of East- 
Turkestan are by no means simple chains of moun- 
tains, like the Alps or Pyrenees, which may be 
crossed by single passes ; they are agglomerated 
mountain-systems, consisting of many chains, and 
embracing considerable regions, such as Little 
Tibet and Cashmere, in their valleys. In travel- 
ling from India to Toorkestan on the usual path of 
trade, there are not less than eleven lofty passes to 
be surmounted, only two of which are lower than 
the summit of Mont Blanc. 

“ The rivers which have their rise in the southern 
mountain-system exhibit the singular feature, that 
they do not directly find their way to the plains, 
but often flow for many hundred miles in long val- 
leys, lying between the chains and parallel with 
them, before they finally collect their strength, 
and burst forth from their imprisonment through a 
cleft in the mountain-barrier. The most remark- 
able example is the Indus, which, rising on Chinese 
soil, flows northwestward behind five distinct 
ranges of the Himalayas before he reaches his 
turning-point, and then must break through all 


'IIL COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA. 


15 


these ranges before he issues upon the plains of 
India. Within this great curve he embraces the 
entire courses of his five large tributary rivers, 
which give a name to the Punjab. Each of the 
latter imitates his example on a lesser scale, and 
the gorges which they break through the mountain- 
walls constitute the wildest scenery of the Hima- 
layas. It is interesting to note that this peculi- 
arity is repeated on the northern side of the great 
watershed. The Karakash flows for eighty miles 
along the southern side of the Kuen-liin, before it 
suddenly turns and breaks through the gorge of 
Shahidoolla ; and the river of Yarkand, rising in 
the Karakoram pass, describes a great arc behind 
another part of the same Kiicn-lun before it turns 
towards Yarkand. It commences with an almost 
western course, and ends in the desert after a long 
Journey to the east. This feature of the country 
occasions the principal difficulty of travel, for the 
routes of commerce are led directly across all the 
intervening chains, instead of following the long 
wanderings of the rivers. 

“ The northern mountain boundary of East 
Toorkestan is almost equally complicated, with 
the exception of one point at its western ex- 
tremity, where a single Alpine wall divides the 
territory of Kashghar from the upper valleys of 
the Jaxartes. We see, therefore, that East Toor- 
kestan is a very compact state, cut off from all 
neighboring lands by lofty mountains and tremen- 
dous deserts. The physical result of this is the 
almost entire absence of rain. All the clouds 


i6 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


laden with the moisture of the Indian Ocean ex- 
haust themselves on the outer ridge of the Hima- 
layas, where the rain-fall occasionally amounts to 
three hundred inches in a year. The second and 
third chains receive much less, and beyond them 
lies the sterile region which is called Tibet. The 
other inclosing mountains present similar obstacles 
to the clouds from the north and west, while the 
immense distance of the China Sea acts as a 
barrier, ii that direction. 

“ Therefore, although the first view of Central 
Asia, as seen from the crest of the Kuen-liin, re- 
minds us of the open plains of India which we 
have left behind us, nevertheless we remark an 
important difference in the country as soon as we 
begin to descend. Here no forests deck the 
mountain slopes, no green refreshes the eye, weary 
of gazing continually on naked gravel and stones ; 
even the plain, at first, is as barren as the moun- 
tains we have left. So much the more surprising 
is the appearance of the rich cultivation, with 
which the soil has been clothed by the hand ot 
man. From the edge of the desert border, which 
sinks away at a distance of ten or twelve miles 
from the foot of the mountains, the traveller 
enters a cultivated land, where in spring a sea ot 
green fields of grain spreads to the right and left, 
dotted with scattered farms and villages which are 
buried in groves of fruit trees. The orchards are 
so numerous that they restrict the view to a few 
hundred paces. Their productions are much the 
same as in Cashmere : apples, pears, apricots. 


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IMIIMITIVE AlilUl'ULTURE OF TOE EAST. 



THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA. 1 7 

peaches, mulberries, walnuts, melons, and even 
wine ; while the chief harvests of the fields are 
wheat, barley, maize and lucerne, together with 
some cotton, flax and hemp.” 

The dry climate, which makes a desert of the 
greater portion of the land, in fact, allowing habi- 
tation only in the neighborhood of the mountains, 
has given rise to a singular arrangement of the 
settlements. In the absence of periodical rains, 
the inhabitants are obliged to rely upon the 
streams which come from the mountains in spring 
and summer, for the fertilizing of their fields. 
They therefore construct long canals and ditches 
from the gorges of the streams to their fields, and 
thereby, notwithstanding the rudest agricultural 
implements, they obtain regular and excellent 
harvests, unless there happens to be an unusually 
scanty snow-fall upon the mountains, and the 
supply of water is diminished in consequence. 
The resemblance, in this respect, to Utah, and 
other parts of our American “ Great Basin,” will 
strike the reader. 

On account of this dependance of the crops on 
the rivers, the towns and villages of East Toor- 
kestan are all situated upon or very near the latter. 
The entire population of the country is thus con- 
centrated upon strips of territory, stretching in 
parallel lines from the mountains towards the 
desert, with other strips of bare, waste soil lying 
between. The latter are mostly open plains, 
crossed by low ridges of shifting sand, or some- 
times marshes interspersed with sandy steppes. 


i8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


In journeying from one city to another, the travel- 
ler is obliged to cross these desert tracts, but it 
rarely happens that he does not find a good camp- 
ing-place every night. All the roads in the lower 
country are practicable for vehicles, and regularly 
travelled by two- wheeled carts. The beasts of 
burden are the ass and the camel, while the 
Tibetan yak is used in the mountains. 

The population of the country is principally of 
Turanian blood. The country people are called 
“Moguls” by the inhabitants of the towns. In 
addition, there are also Chinese who have been 
forcibly converted to Islam, and some few Cal- 
mucks : also, among the merchants, emigrants 
from Tartary and Affghanistan. Most of the civil 
and military offices are filled by Uzbek and Kipt- 
chak Tartars. The mountains are inhabited by 
wandering Kirghiz tribes, which pasture their great 
herds of goats, sheep, yaks and camels during the 
summer months on the high Alpine meadows, but 
in winter descend into the lower and warmer val- 
leys. 

The principal cities, each the capital of a pro- 
vince, are Yarkand, Kashghar, Khoten and Aksu. 
The population of the first two of these has been 
variously estimated at from 50,000 to 120,000 each. 
There are said to be from sixty to seventy other 
‘.owns and large villages, containing, all together, 
about one-half the entire population of the coun- 
try, which, according to the most recent estimates, 
is not more than 600,000. 


CHAPTER II. 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 

HE only European traveller, from the most 


remote period down to the present age, who 
ever visited the high table-land of Thibet and the 
countries beyond, was Marco Polo of Venice. 
Although his narrative was dictated from memory, 
long after his return from a series of travels so 
extensive and adventurous that they have scarcely 
their parallel in the annals of exploration, the 
exactness of his statements has been wonderfully 
confirmed by all recent discoveries. The latest 
and by far the most complete and satisfactory 
edition of his work is that by Sir Henry Yule, from 
which we take those passages which refer to the 
subject of this volume. 

The Polos were a noble family of Venice, who, 
early in the thirteenth century, engaged in trade 
with the East. Nicolo, the father of Marco, with 
his elder brother Maffeo, appear to have been set- 
tled in Constantinople in the year 1260: the boy 
Marco, then four years old, had been left behind 
in Venice. A branch of their house appears to have 
been already established in the Crimea, whithei 



20 


CEXTKAL ASIA. 


Nicolo and Maffeo went, in the year above named. 
The prospect of successful trade carried them far 
to the northward along the Volga, thence to Bak- 
hara in Tartary, and finally eastward through Cen- 
tral Asia to the court of Kublai Khan, at Cambalu 
(Peking), the capital of Cathay. 

“Kublai,” says Sir Henry Yule, “had never 
before fallen in with European gentlemen. He 
was delighted with these Venetians, listened with 
strong interest to all they had to tell him of the 
Latin world, and determined to send them back 
as his ambassadors to the Pope, accompanied by 
an officer of his own court. His letters to the Pope, 
as the Polos represent them, were mainly to desire 
the dispatch of a large body of educated mission- 
aries to convert his people to Christianity. It is 
not likely that religious motives influenced Kublai 
in this, but he probably desired religious aid in 
softening and civilizing his rude kinsmen of the 
Steppes, and judged, from what he saw in the 
Venetians and heard from them, that Europe could 
^ afford such aid, of a higher quality than the de- 
generate Oriental Christians with whom he was 
familiar, or the Tibetan Lamas on whom his pa- 
tronage eventually devolved when Rome so deplo- 
rably failed to meet his advances. 

“ The brothers arrived at Acre in 1269, and 
found that no Pope existed, for Clement IV. was 
dead the year before, and no new election had 
taken place. So they went home to Venice to see 
how things stood there after their absence of so 
oriany years. The wife of Nicolo was no longer 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 2 1 

among the living, but he found his son Marco, a 
fine lady of fifteen. 

“ The Papal interregnum was the longest known, 
at least since the dark ages. Two years passed, 
and yet the Cardinals at Viterbo had come to no 
agreement. The brothers were unwilling to let 
the Great Khan suppose them faithless, and per- 
haps they hankered after the virgin field of specu- 
lation that they had discovered ; so they started 
again for the East, taking young Marco with them. 
At Acre they took counsel with an eminent church- 
man, Tedaldo ( or Tebaldo ) Visconti, Archdeacon 
of Liege, whom the book represents to have been 
Legate in Syria, and who in any case was a person 
of much gravity and influence. Lrom him they 
got letters to authenticate the causes of the mis- 
carriage of their mission, and started for the fur- 
ther Last. But they were still at the port oi 
Ayas on the Gulf of Scanderoon, which was then 
becoming one of the chief points of arrival and de- 
parture for the inland trade of Asia, when they 
were overtaken by the news that a Pope was at 
last elected, and that the choice had fallen upon 
their friend. Archdeacon Tedaldo. They immedi- 
ately returned to Acre, and were at last able to 
e.xecute the Khan’s commission, and to obtain a 
reply. But instead of the hundred able teachers 
of science and religion whom Kublai is said to have 
asked for, the new Pope, Gregory X., could supply 
but two Dominicans ; and these lost heart and 
drew back when they had barely taken the first 
step of the journey. 


22 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ Judging from certain indications we conceive 
it probable that the three Venetians, whose second 
start from Acre took place about November, 1271, 
proceeded by Ayas and Sivas, and then by Mardin, 
Mosul and Baghdad, to Ormuz at the mouth of the 
Persian Gulf, with the view of going on by sea, but 
that some obstacle arose which compelled them 
to abandon this project, and turn north again from 
Ormuz. They then traversed successively Ker- 
man and Khorassan, Balkh and Badakhshan, whence 
they ascended the upper Oxus to the plateau ol 
Pamer, a route, not known to have been since fol- 
lowed by any European traveller except Benedict 
Goes, till the spirited expedition of Captain John 
Wood of the Indian Navy, in 1838. Crossing the 
Pamer steppe, the travellers descended upon Kash- 
gar, whence they proceeded by Yarkand and Kho- 
tan and the vicinity of Lake Lob, and eventually 
across the great Gobi Desert to Tangut, the name 
then applied by Mongols and Persians to the ter- 
ritory at the extreme north-west of China, both 
within and without the Wall. Skirting the north- 
ern frontier of China, they at last reached the pres- 
ence of the Khan, who was at his usual summer 
residence at Kaipingfu, near the base of the Khin- 
gan Mountains, and about fifty miles north of the 
Great Wall. If there be no mistake in the time 
(three years and a half) ascribed to this journey 
in all the e.xisting texts, the travellers did not 
reach the Court till about May of 1275. 

“ Kublai received the Venetians with great cor- 
diality, and took kindly to young Marco, who must 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


23 


have been by this time one-and-twenty. The 
‘Young Bachelor,’ as the story calls him, applied 
himself to the acquisition of the languages and 
written characters in chief use among the multifa- 
rious nationalities included in the Khan’s court 
and administration ; and Kublai, after a time, see- 
ing his discretion and ability, began to employ 
him in the public service. M. Pauthier has found 
a record in the Chinese annals of the Mongol Dy- 
nasty, which states that in the year 1277, a certain 
Polo was nominated a second-class commissioner 
or agent attached to the Privy Council, a passage 
which we are happy to believe to refer to our young 
traveller. 

“ His first mission apparently was that which 
carried him through the provinces of Shansi, Shen- 
si and Szechuen, and the wild country on the east 
of Tibet, to the remote province of Yunnan, called 
by the Mongols Karajang, and which had been 
partially conquered by an army under Kublai him- 
self, in 1253, before his accession to the throne. 
Marco, during his stay at court, had observed the 
Khan’s delight in hearing of strange countries, 
their marvels, manners and oddities, and had heard 
his Majesty’s frank expressions of disgust at the 
stupidity of his commissioners when they could 
speak of nothing but the official business on which 
they had been sent. Profiting by these observa- 
tions, he took care to store his memory or his 
note books with all curious facts that were likely 
to interest Kublai, and related them with vivacity 
on his return to Court. This first journey, which led 


24 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


him through a region which is still very nearly a 
terra incognita, and in which there existed and 
still exists, among the deep valleys of the Great 
Rivers flowing down from Eastern Tibet, and in 
the rugged mountain ranges bordering Yunnan 
and Kweichan, a vast ethnological garden, as it 
were, of tribes of various race and in every stage 
of uncivilization, afforded him an acquaintance with 
many strange products and eccentric traits of 
manners, wherewith to delight the Emperor. 

“ Marco rose rapidly in favor, and was often 
employed again on distant missions, as well as in 
domestic administration, but we gather few details 
as to his employments. At one time we know that 
he held for three years the government of the 
great city of Yangchan, though we need not try to 
magnify this office, as some commentators have 
done, into the viceroyalty of one of the great pro- 
vinces of the Empire ; on another occasion, we find 
him with his uncle Maffeo, passing a year at Kanchan 
in Tangut ; again, it would appear, visiting Kara- 
koram, the old capital of the Khans in Mongolia ; 
on another occasion in Champa, or Southern 
Chocin-China ; and again, or perhaps as a part of 
the last expedition, on a mission to the Indian 
Seas, when he appears to have visited several of 
the southern states of India. We are not informed 
whether his father and uncle shared in such em- 
ployments ; and the story of their services rendered 
to the Khan in promoting the capture of the city 
of Siangyang, by the construction of powerful en- 
gines of attack, is too much perplexed by difficul- 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


25 


ties of chronology to be cited with confidence. 
Anyhow they were gathering wealth, and after 
years of exile they began to dread what might fol- 
low old Kublai’s death, and longed to carry their 
gear and their own gray heads safe home to 
Venice. The aged Emperor growled refusal to a'l 
their hints, and but for a happy chance we should 
have lost our media;val Herodotus. 

“ Arghun Khan, of Persia, Kublai’s great 
nephew, had lost his favorite wife, the Khatun 
Bulughan ; and, mourning her sorely, took steps 
to fulfil her dying injunction that her place should 
be filled only by a lady of her own kin, the Mongol 
tribe of Bayant. Ambassadors were dispatched to 
the Court of the Great Khan to seek such a bride. 
The message was courteously received, and the 
choice fell upon the lady Kukachin, a maiden of 
seventeen. The overland road from Peking to 
Tabreez (in Persia) was not only of portentous 
length for such a tender charge, but was imperilled 
by war, so the envoys desired to return by sea. 
Tartars in general were strangers to all navigation ; 
and the envoys, much taken with the Venetians, 
and eager to profit by their experience, especially 
as Marco had just then returned from his Indian 
mission, begged the Khan as a favor to send the 
three Franks in his company. He consented with 
reluctance, but, having done so, fitted out the 
party nobly for the voyage, charging the Polos 
with friendly messages for the potentates ot 
Europe, including the King of England. They 
appear to have sailed from the port of Zayton (as 


6 


CEXTKAL ASIA. 


the Westerns called Chin-chan, in To-kien) in the 
beginning of 1292. It was an ill-starred voyage, 
and involved long detentions on the coast of Suma- 
tra, and in the south of India, to which, however, 
we are indebted for some of the best chapters in 
the book ; and two years or upwards passed before 
they arrived at their destination in Persia. The 
three hardy Venetians survived all perils, and so 
did the lady, who had come to look on them with 
filial regard ; but two of the three envoys, and a 
vast proportion of the suite, had perished by the 
way. Argun Khan, too, had been dead even be- 
fore they quitted China ; his brother, Kaikhatu, 
reigned in his stead, and the latter’s son, Ghazan, 
succeeded to the lady’s hand. We are told by one 
who knew both the princes well that Arghun was 
one of the handsomest men of his time, while Gha- 
zan was, among all his host, the most insignificant 
in appearance. But in other respects the lady’s 
change was for the better. Ghazan had some of 
the highest qualities of a soldier, a legislator and a 
king, adorned by many and varied accomplish- 
ments ; though his reign was too short for the full 
development of his fame. 

“ The princess, whose enjoyment of her royalty 
was brief, wept as she took leave of the kindly and 
noble Venetians. They went on to Tabreez, and 
after a long halt there proceeded homewards, 
reaching Venice, according to all the texts, some- 
time in 1295.” 

We now tsike from Ramusio’s edition of Marco 
Polo’s travels (published in Venice, in 1553), the 


MARCO POLO IX CENTRAL ASIA. 


27 


account of the return of the three, father, uncle and 
Marco, to Venice ; 

“ And when they got thither the same fate befel 
them as befel Ulysses, who, when he returned, after 
his twenty years’ wanderings to his native Ithaca, 
was recognized by nobody. Thus also these three 
gentlemen, who had been so many years absent 
from their native city, were recognized by none of 
their kinsfolk, who were under the firm belief that 
they had all been dead for many a year past, as in- 
deed had been reported. Through the long dura- 
tion and the hardships of their journeys, and 
through the many worries and anxieties that they 
had undergone, they were quite changed in aspect, 
and had got a certain indescribable smack of the 
Tartar both in air and accent, having indeed all but 
forgotten their Venetian tongue. Their clothes 
too were coarse and shabby, and of a Tartar cut. 
They proceeded on their arrival to their house in 
this city, in the confine of St. John Chrysostom, 
where you may see it to this day. The house, 
which was in those days a very lofty and handsome 
palazzo, is now known by the name of the Corte 
del Millioni for a reason that I will tell you 
presently. Going thither, they found it occupied 
by some of their relatives, and they had the great- 
est difficulty in making the latter understand who 
they should be. For these good people, seeing 
them to be in countenance so unlike what they 
used to be, and in dress so shabby, flatly refused 
to believe that they were those very gentlemen of 
the Ca’ Polo, whom they had been looking upon 


28 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


for ever so many years as among the dead. So 
these three gentlemen, — this is a story I have 
often heard, when I was a youngster, from the 
illustrious Messer Gasparo Malpiero, a gentleman 
of very great age, and a Senator of eminent virtue 
and integrity, whose house was on the canal of 
Santa Marina, exactly at the corner over the 
mouth of the Rio de San Giovanni Chrisostomo, 
and just midway among the buildings of the afore- 
said Corte del Millioni, and he said he had heard 
the story from his own father and grandfather, and 
from other old men among the neighbors, — the 
three gentlemen, I say, devised a scheme by which 
they should at once bring about their recognition 
by their relatives, and secure the honorable notice 
of the whole city ; and this was it : • 

“ They invited a number of their kindred to an 
entertainment which they took care to have pre- 
pared with great state and splendor, in that house 
of theirs ; and when the hour arrived for sitting 
down to table they came forth of their chamber all 
three clothed in crimson satin, fashioned in long 
robes reaching to the ground, such as people in 
those days wore within doors. And when water 
for the hands had been served, and the guests were 
set, they took off those robes and put on others of 
crimson damask, while the first suits were by their 
orders cut up and divided among the servants. 
Then after partaking of some of the dishes they 
went out again and came back in robes of crimson 
velvet ; and when they had again taken their seats, 
the second suits were divided as before. Wiien 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


29 


dinner was over they did the like with the robes 
of velvet, after they had put on dresses of the 
ordinary fashion worn by the rest of the company. 
These proceedings caused much wonder and 
amazement among the guests. But when the cloth 
had been drawn, and all the servants had been 
ordered to retire from the dining-hall, Messer 
Marco, as the youngest of the three, rose from table, 
and, going into another chamber, brought forth the 
three shabby dresses of coarse stuff which they had 
worn when they first arrived. Straightway they 
took sharp knives and began to rip up some of the 
seams and welts, and to take out of them jewels 
of the greatest value in vast quantities, such as 
rubies, sapphires, carbuncles, diamonds and eme- 
ralds, which had all been stitched up in those 
dresses, in so artful a fashion that nobody could 
have suspected the fact. For when they took 
leave of the Great Khan, they had changed all the 
wealth that he had bestowed upon them into this 
mass of rubies, emeralds, and other jewels, being 
well aware of the impossibility of carrying with 
them so great an amount in gold, over a journey ol 
such extreme length and difficulty. Now this 
exhibition of such a huge treasure of jewels and 
precious stones, all tumbled out upon the table, 
threw the guests into fresh amazement, insomuch 
that they seemed quite bewildered and dumb- 
founded. And now they recognized that in spite 
of all former doubts these were in truth those hon- 
ored and worthy gentlemen of the Ca’ Polo that 


30 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


they claimed to be ; and so all paid them the great- 
est honor and reverence. 

“ And when the story got wind in Venice, 
straightway the whole city, gentle and simple, 
flocked to the house to^ embrace them, and to 
make much of them, with every conceivable dem- 
onstration of affection and respect. On Messer 
Maffeo, who was the eldest, they conferred the 
honor of an office that was of great dignity in those 
days ; while the young men came daily to visit and 
converse with the ever polite and gracious Messer 
Marco, and to ask him questions about Cathay and 
the Great Khan, all which he answered with such 
kindly courtesy that every man felt himself in a 
manner in his debt. And as it happened that in the 
story, which he was constantly called on to re- 
peat, of the magnificence of the Great Khan, he 
would speak of his revenues as amounting to ten or 
fifteen millio7is of gold ; and, in like manner, when 
recounting other instances of great wealth in those 
parts, would always make use of the term milliotis, 
so they gave him the nickname of ‘ Messer IMarco 
Millioni : ’ a thing which I have noted also in the 
public books of this republic, where mention is 
made of him.” 

We will now quote those portions of Marco Polo's 
narrative which relate immediately to Central 
Asia. After the disappointment of the travellers 
at Ormuz, and their change of plans, they crossed 
Persia in a north-easterly direction, and reached 
Balkh, in Tartary. Thence their course was up the 
valley of the Oxus to the great central table-land 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


31 


of Asia. Balk has been visited in recent times by 
English travellers. Beyond that place, Polo 
passed through Taican [the modern Talikan] and 
Casern [Kishm] to the province of Badashan [now 
Badakhshan], which he thus describes : 

“ Badashan is a province inhabited by people 
who worship Mahomet, and have a peculiar 
language. It forms a very great kingdom, and 
the royalty is hereditary. All those of the royal 
blood are descended from King Alexander and 
the daughter of King Darius, who was Lord of the 
vast Empire of Persia. And all these kings call 
themselves in the Saracen tongue, Zulca7'niain* 
which is as much as to say ‘ Alexander and this 
out of respect for Alexander the Great. 

“ It is in this province that those fine and 
valuable gems, the Balas rubies are found. They 
are got in certain rocks among the mountains, and 
in the search for them the people dig great caves 
underground, just as is done by miners for silver. 
There is but one special mountain that produce.s 
them, and it is called Syghinan. The stones are 
dug on the king’s account, and no one else dares 
dig in that mountain, on pain of forfeiture of life 
as well as goods ; nor may any one carry the 
stones out of the kingdom. But the king amasses 
them all, and sends them to other kings when he 
has a tribute to render, or when he desires to ofifer 
a friendly present ; and such only as he pleases he 
causes to be sold. Thus he acts in order to keep 


♦ Arabic, signifying “two-horned,” from the horned hea/i of 
Alexander on many of his coins. 


32 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the Balas at a high value ; for if he would allow 
everybody to dig, they would extract so many 
that the world would be glutted with them, and 
they would cease to bear any value. Hence it is 
that he allows so few to be taken out, and is so 
strict in the matter. 

“ There is also in the same country another 
mountain, in which azure [lapis lazuli] is found ; 
it is the finest in the world, and is got in a vein 
like silver. There are also other mountains which 
contain a great amount of silver ore, so that the 
country is a very rich one ; but it is also (it must 
be said) a very cold one ! It produces numbers of 
excellent horses, remarkable for their speed. 
They are not shod at all, although constantly used 
in mountainous country, and on very bad roads. 
(They go at a great pace, even down steep de- 
scents, where other horses neither would nor could 
do the like. And Messer Marco was told that not 
long ago they possessed in that province a breed 
of horses from the strain of Alexander’s horse 
Bucephalus, all of which had from their birth a 
particular mark on the forehead. This breed was 
entirely in the hands of an uncle of the king’s ; 
and in consequence of his refusing to let the king 
have any of them, the latter put him to death. 
The widow, then, in despite, destroyed the whole 
breed, and it is now extinct.) 

“ The mountains of this country also supply 
Saker falcons of excellent flight, and plenty of 
lanners likewise. Beasts and birds for the chase 
are there in great abundance. Good wheat is 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


33 


grown, and also barley without husk. They have 
no olive oil, but make oil from sesame, and also 
from walnuts. 

“ In the mountains there are vast numbers of 
sheep — ^400, 500, or 600 in a single flock, and all of 
them wild ; and though many of them are taken, 
they never seem to get aught the scarcer. 

“ Those mountains are so lofty that ’tis a hard 
day’s work, from morning till evening, to get to 
the top of them. On getting up, you find an ex- 
tensive plain, with great abundance of gras.= and 
trees, and copious springs of pure water running 
down through rocks and ravines. In those brooks 
are found trout and many other fish of dainty 
kinds ; and the air in tho.^e regions is so pure, and 
residence there so healthful, that when the men 
who dwell below in the towns, and in the valleys 
and plains, find themselves attacked by any kind 
of fever or other ailment that may hap, they lose 
no time in going to the hills ; and after abiding 
there two or three days, they quite recover their 
health through the excellence of that air. (And 
Messer Marco Polo said he had proved this by ex- 
perience ; for when in those parts, he had been ill 
for about a year, but as soon as he was advised to 
visit that mountain, he did so and got well at 
once.) 

“ In this kingdom there are many strait and 
perilous passes, so difficult to force that the people 
have no fear of invasion. Their towns and villages 
are also on lofty hills, and in very strong positions. 
They are excellent archers, and much given to the 


34 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


chase ; indeed, most of them are dependent for 
clothing on the skins of beasts, for stuffs are very 
dear among them. The great ladies, however, 
are arrayed in stuffs, and I will tell you the style 
of their dress ! They all wear drawers made of 
cotton cloth, and into the making of these some 
will put sixty, eighty, or even one hundred ells of 
stuff This they do to make themselves look 
large in the hips, for the men of those parts think 
that to be a great beauty in a woman. 

“ You must know that ten days’ journey to the 
south of Badashan there is a province called 
Pashai, the people of which have a peculiar 
language, and are idolaters, of a brown complexion. 
They are great adepts in sorceries and the diabolic 
arts. The men wear earrings and brooches of 
gold and silver, set with stones and pearls. They 
are a pestilent people and a crafty ; and they live 
upon flesh and rice. Their country is very hot. 

“ Now let us proceed and speak of another 
country which is seven days’ journey from this one 
towards the southeast, and the name of which is 
Keshimur [Cashmere]. 

“ Keshimur also is a province inhabited by a 
people who are idolaters and have a language of 
their own. They have an astonishing acquain- 
tance with the devilries of enchantment ; inso- 
much that they can make their idols to speak. 
They can also by their sorceries bring on changes 
of weather, and produce darkness, and do a num- 
ber of things so extraordinary that no one without 
seeing them would believe them. Indeed, this 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


35 


country is the very original source from which 
idolatry has spread abroad. In this direction you 
can proceed further until you come to the Sea of 
India. 

“ The men are brown and lean, but the women, 
taking them as brunettes, are very beautiful. The 
food of the people is flesh, and milk, and rice. The 
climate is finely tempered, being neither very hot 
nor very cold. There are numbers of towns and 
villages in the country, but also forests and desert 
tracts, and strong passes, so that the people have 
no fear of anybody, and keep their independence, 
with a king of their own to rule and do justice. 

“ There are in this country Eremites (after the 
fashion of those parts), who dwell in seclusion and 
practice great abstinence in eating and drinking. 
They observe strict chastity, and keep from all sins 
forbidden in their law, so that they are regarded 
by their own folk as very holy persons. They live 
to a very great age. 

“ There are also a number of idolatrous abbeys 
and monasteries. (The people of the province do 
not kill animals nor spill blood ; so if they want to 
eat meat they get the Saracens who dwell among 
them to play the butcher.) The coral which is 
carried from our parts of the world has a better 
sale there than in other parts of the country. 

“ Now we will quit this country, and not go any 
further in the same direction ; for if we did so we 
should enter India ; and that I do not wish to do 
at present. For on our return journey I mean to 
tell you about India, all in regular order. Let us 


36 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


go back, therefore, to Badashan, for we cannot 
otherwise proceed on our journey. 

“ In leaving Badashan you ride twelve days be- 
tween east and northeast, ascending a river [the 
Oxus] that runs through land belonging to a 
brother of the Prince of Badashan, and containing 
a good many towns and villages and scattered 
habitations. The people are Mahometans, and 
valiant in war. At the end of these twelve days 
you come to a province of no great size, extending 
indeed no more than three days’ journey in any 
direction, and this is called Vokhan. The people 
worship Mahomet, and they have a peculiar 
language. They are gallant soldiers, and they 
have a chief whom they call None, which is as 
much as to say Count, and they are liegemen of the 
Prince of Badashan. 

“ There are numbers of wild beasts of all sorts in 
this region. And when you leave this little coun- 
try, and ride three days north-east, always among 
mountains, you get to such a height that ’tis said 
to be the highest place in the world ! And when 
you have got to this height you find a great lake 
between two mountains, and out of it a fine river 
running through a plain clothed with the finest 
pasture in the world ; insomuch that a lean beast 
will fatten there to your heart’s content in ten days. 
There are great numbers of all kinds of wild beasts ; 
among others, wild sheep of great size, whose 
horns are good six palms in length. From these 
horns the shepherds make great bowls to eat from, 
and they use the horns also to enclose folds foj 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


37 


their cattle at nijht. (Messer Marco was told also 
that the wolves were numerous, and kill many ot 
these wild sheep. Hence quantities of their horns 
and bones were found, and these were made into 
great heaps by the wayside, in order to guide tra- 
vellers when snow was on the ground.) 

“The plain is called Pamier [Pamir, or Pamere], 
and you ride across it for twelve days together, 
finding nothing but a desert without habitations or 
any green thing, so that travellers are obliged to 
carry with them whatever they have need of. The 
region is so lofty and cold that you do not even 
see any birds flying. And I must notice also that 
because of this great cold, fire does not burn so 
brightly, nor give out so much heat as usual, nor 
does it cook food so effectually. 

“ Now, if we go on with our journey towards the 
east-north-east, we travel a good forty days, con- 
tinually passing over mountains and hills, or 
through valleys, and crossing many rivere and 
tracts of wilderness. And in all this way you find 
neither habitation of man, nor any green thing, but 
you must carry with you whatever you require. 
The country is called Bolor [Belur, or Bielor Dagh, 
the White Mountains]. The people dwell high 
up in the mountains, and are savage idolaters, liv- 
ing only by the chase, and clothing themselves in 
the skins of beasts. They are in truth an evil 
••ace. 

“ Cascar [Kashgar] is a region lying between 
north-east and east, and constituted a kingdom in 
former days, but now it is subject to the Great 


38 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


Khan. The people worship Mahomet. There 
are a good number of towns and villages, but the 
greatest and finest is Cascar itself. The inhabit- 
ants live by trade and handicrafts ; they have beau- 
tiful gardens and vineyards, and fine estates, and 
grow a great deal of cotton. From this country 
many merchants go forth, about' the world, on 
trading journeys. The natives are a wretched nig- 
gardly set of people ; they eat and drink in misera- 
ble fashion. There are in the country many Nes- 
torian Christians, who have churches of their own. 
The people of the country have a peculiar language, 
and the territory extends for five days’ journey. 

“ Yarcan [Yarkand] is a province five days’ jour- 
ney in extent. The people follow the law of Ma- 
homet, but there are also Nestorian and Jacobite 
Christians. They are subject to the same Prince I 
have mentioned, the Great Khan’s nephew. They 
have plenty of everything, particularly of cotton. 
The inhabitants are also great craftsmen, but a 
large proportion of them have swollen legs, and 
great crops at the throat, which arises from some 
quality in their drinking water. As there is noth- 
ing else worth telling, we may pass on. 

“ Cotan [Khoten] is a province lying between 
lorth-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in 
length. The people are subject to the Great 
Khan, and are all worshippers of Mahomet. There 
are numerous towns and villages in the country, 
but Cotan, the capital, is the most noteworthy of 
all, and gives its name to the kingdom. Pivery- 
thing is to be had th"'re in plenty, including abun- 


MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


39 


dance of cotton, with flax, hemp, wheat, wine and 
the like. The people have vineyards and gardens 
and estates. They live by commerce and manu- 
factures, and are no soldiers. 

“ Pein [Pima .^] is a province five days’ in length, 
lying between east and north-east. The people are 
worshippers of Mahomet, and subjects of the Great 
Khan. There are a good number of towns and 
villages, but the most noble is Pein, the capital of 
the kingdom. There are rivers in this country, in 
which quantities of jasper and chalcedony are 
found. The people have plenty of all products, 
including cotton. They live by manufactures and 
trade. But they have a custom that I must relate. 
If the husband of any woman go away upon a 
journey and remain away for more than twenty 
days, as soon as that term is past the woman may 
marry another man, and the husband also may 
then marry whom he pleases. 

“ I should tell you that all the provinces that I 
have been speaking of, from Cascar forwards, and 
those I am going to mention, as far as the city of 
Lop, belong to Great Turkey. 

“ Charchan [Chachan] is a province of Great 
Turkey, lying between north-east and east. The 
people worship Mahomet. There are numerous- 
towns and villages, and the chief city of the king- 
dom bears its name, Charchan. The province con- 
tains rivers which bring down jasper and chalcedony 
and these are carried for sale into Cathay, where 
they bring great prices. The whole of the province 
Is sandy, and so is the road all the way from Pein, 


40 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


and much of the Avater that you find is bitter and 
bad. However at some places you do find fresh 
and sweet water. When an army passes through 
the land, the people escape with their wives, chil- 
dren and cattle, a distance of two or three days’ 
journey into the sandy waste ; and knowing the 
spots Avhere water is to be had, they are able to 
live there, and to keep their cattle alive, whilst it 
is impossible to discover them ; for the wind im- 
mediately blows the sand over their track. 

“ Quitting Charchan, you ride some five days 
through the sands, finding none but bad and bitter 
water, and then you come to a place where the 
water is sweet. And now I will tell you of a pro- 
vince called Lop, in which there is a city also 
called Lop, which you come to at the end of those 
five days. It is at the entrance of the Great Desert, 
and it is here that travellers repose before entering 
in the Desert. 

“ Lop [Lob] is a large town at the edge of the 
Desert which is called the Desert of Lop [Gobi, or 
Shamo, on modern maps], and is situated between 
east and north-east. It belongs to the Great 
Khan, and the people worship Mahomet. Now, 
such persons as propose to cross the Desert take a 
week’s rest in this town to refresh themselves and 
their cattle ; and then they make ready for the 
journey, taking with them a month’s supply for 
man and beast. On quitting this city they enter 
the Desert. 

“The length of this Desert is so great that 'tis 
said that it would take a year and more to ride from 



WELL IN THE DESERT 



MARCO POLO IN CENTRAL ASIA. 


41 


one end of it to the other. And here, where its 
breadth is least, it takes a month to cross it. ’Tis 
all composed of hills and valleys of sand, and not 
a thing to eat is to be found on it. But after riding 
for a day and a night you find fresh water enough, 
mayhap, for some fifty or a hundred persons with 
their beasts, but not for more. And all across the 
Desert you will find water in like manner, that is 
to say, in some twenty-eight places altogether you 
will find good water, but in no great quantity ; 
and in four places you find also brackish water. 

“ Beasts there are none ; for there is nought for 
them to eat. But there is a marvellous thing re- 
lated of this Desert, which is that when travellers 
are on the move by night, and one of them chances 
to lag behind or to fall asleep or the like, when he 
tries to gain his company again he will hear spirits 
talking, and will suppose them to be his comrades. 
Sometimes the spirits will call him by name ; and 
thus shall a traveller ofttimes be led astray so that 
he never finds his party. And in this way many 
have perished. Sometimes the stray travellers 
will hear, as it were, the tramp and hum of a great 
cavalcade of people away from the real line of 
road, and taking this to be their own company 
they will follow the sound ; and when day breaks 
the)’^ find that a cheat has been put on them and 
that they are in an ill-plight. Even in the day 
time one hears those spirits talking. And some- 
times you shall hear the sound of a variety of 
musical instruments, and still more commonly the 
»ound of drums. Hence in making this journey 


42 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


’tis customary for travellers to keep close together. 
All the animals, too, have bells at their necks, so 
that they cannot easily get astray. And at sleep- 
ing time a signal is put up to show the direction of 
the next march. 

“ So thus it is that the Desert is crossed.” 

This is Marco Polo’s brief, yet remarkably cor- 
rect account of his journey from Badakhshan, on 
the Oxus, in Independent Tartary, to the western 
extremity of the Great Wall, in China. It is 
remarkable that there is not a single custom or 
superstition which he mentions, that does not exist 
at the present day, or has been discovered to have 
existed, by later travellers. When we consider 
that his account was dictated from memory, unas- 
sisted by notes, at least twenty-five years after he 
made the journey, and after such a quantity of in- 
tervening adventures and experiences, his cha- 
racter as a veracious narrator is wonderfully vindi- 
cated. 

Still more remarkable is it, perhaps, that nearly 
six hundred years should have elasped since this 
journey through Central Asia, before any portion 
of the region was again trodden by the feet of a 
European explorer. 


CHAPTER III. 

MODERN ATTEMPTS AT EXPLORATION. 

WO centuries after Marco Polo’s journey, the 


discovery of Vasco de Gama completely 
changed the course of the commerce between 
Europe and the Indies. The long, toilsome and 
perilous routes of overland travel were relinquish- 
ed, with all their opportunities for interior explo- 
ration ; the knowledge of the civilized world com- 
menced anew along the coasts ofthe great Eastern 
continent and slowly forced its way inwards. 

The English conquests in India gradually ad- 
vanced the line of exploration, first to the base of 
the Himalayas, then westward along the range to 
the Indus, and finally to Cashmere and Affghan- 
istan. From 1830 to 1840, when the East India 
Government concerned itself much more than was 
necessary in the affairs of the latter country, and 
with such disastrous results, the cities of Cabul, 
Ghuznee, Kandahar and Herat were reached by 
English officers, and even some of the passes 
traversed in the Hindoo-Koosh, dividing Affghan- 
istan from Tartary. 

One of these officers, Lieut. John Wood, in the 



44 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


autumn of 1837, reached Balkh on a mission to the 
ruler of that Tartar principality. The lateness of 
the season obliged him to remain all winter there, 
before returning to Cabul, and he planned an expe- 
dition to the source of the Oxus, as daring in con- 
ception as it was successful in the result. Leaving 
Balkh with a very small party and only the most 
necessary supplies, he made a winter journey on 
the track of Marco Polo, up the valley of the Oxus, 
visiting the celebrated ruby and turquoise mines 
of Fyzabad, on the way. In spite of the hardships 
of the road and the severity of the weather, in 
February, 1838, he reached the source of the Oxus, 
the lake Sir-i-kol, on the table-land of Pamir, at 
an elevation of 15,630 feet above the sea. The 
lake was hard-frozen ; the meadows, inhabited in 
summer by the wandering Kirghizes, were de- 
serted and covered with snow, and it was impos- 
sible to extend his exploration beyond that point. 

Lieut. Wood was the first European of modern 
times, to stand upon “the Roof of the World.” It 
was at first supposed that this famous plateau was 
of moderate extent, and formed only by the unit- 
ing ridges of the Belor Dagh, Hindoo-Koosh and 
Karakoram ranges ; but later researches show that 
it forms a broad, enormous table-land, nearly two 
hundred miles from north to south, and varying 
from 16,000 to 18,000 feet above the sea. Its exact 
breadth has not been ascertained, but it is probably 
between 60 and 70 miles. 

Mr. Hayward, who accompanied Shaw to Yar- 
kand and Kashghar, and was murdered, in 1870, in 


MODERN A TTEMPTS A T EXPLORA TION. 45 


the wild mountain region of Chitral (lying to the 
north-west of Cashmere), thus describes the east- 
ern front of the Roof of the World, as seen from 
Yang-hissar, in East Toorkestan : “ Contrary to 
the usual supposition, that the eastern edge of the 
plateau of Pamir falls gradually down to the 
plains of Toorkestan, the mountain-chain, which 
forms this eastern edge, rises to a series of peaks 
near 21,00c feet in height, the flanks of which fall 
sheer and steep to the plain below. The chain 
thus presents a precipitous front towards the low- 
lands of East Toorkestan, and it seems very im- 
probable that any of the Pamir lakes have an 
outlet towards the East ; all the waters of the 
table-land must flow westward, into the valley of 
the Oxus. It is not possible for any landscape 
to surpass in sublimity this mountain-chain, as it 
towers aloft like a gigantic wall, and prints the 
sharp outlines of its snowy peaks and glaciers upon 
the deep blue of the sky.” 

At the same time that Lieutenant Wood made 
his expedition, Mr. G. T. Vigne, Fellow of the 
Geographical Society, was employed in a series of 
e.xplorations in Cashmere, Baltistan and Little 
Tibet. Cashmere had been twice or thrice visited 
before, by officials of the East India company or 
travellers from Europe, but none before Mr. Vigne 
penetrated to lokardo (the capital of Baltistan), 
on the Upper Indus, or advanced so far into Tibet. 
As the most interesting portions of his narrative 
are given in the following chapters, we need only 
allude to him, in the order of research, at present. 


46 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


After the conquest of Ladak, or Little Tibet, by 
the Sikhs, in 1834, and its transfer, through Eng- 
lish influence, to Golab Sing, the Rajah of Cash- 
mere, — of which country it still forms the largest 
province — the facilities of exploration were greatly 
increased. An English resident was stationed at 
Leh, the capital of Ladak, and the road thither 
over the tremendous passes of the Himalayas 
became tolerably safe. No extensive exploration 
of the country, however, was undertaken, until the 
journey of the Brothers Schlagintweit, in 18-56. 

Hermann, Adolf and Robert Schlagintweit, 
natives of Bavaria, devoted themselves, as young 
men, to the study of geology and physical geo- 
graphy. Their works, especially that of Hermann 
upon the physical geography of the Alps, attracted 
the attention of Humboldt, and in 1854, princi- 
pally upon his recommendation, they were com- 
missioned by the King of Prussia to make a 
scientific exploration of India. Their services were 
also accepted, and their plans materially assisted 
by the East India Company. Reaching Bombay 
towards the close of the year 1854, they first tra- 
versed the Deccau to Madras, by various routes. 
At the latter place, the brothers separated, the 
following spring. Adolf and Robert proceeded to 
the north-western extremity of India, and devoted 
themselves to the examination of the passes, 
glaciers and mountain-system of the Himalaya 
ranges. They penetrated into Ladak, and there 
attempted to reach the summit of the Ibi-Gamin, 
one of the loftiest peaks. Although the attempt 


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MODERN ATTEMPTS AT EXPLORATION. 47 

ivas unsuccessful, they succeeded in climbing to 
the height of 22,000 feet, an altitude never before 
attained by man, on the surface of the earth. In 
the mean time, Hermann made extensive journeys 
into Sikkim and Assam, and all the region lying 
between the Brahmapootra and Burmah, both in 
the tropical lowlands and almost unexplored 
mountain regions. 

The three brothers met again at Simla, in 
Northern India, in May, 1856, and then set out 
together for Cashmere. They afterwards visited 
Iskardo, made several excursions into the wild 
regions lying between the Upper Indus and the 
table-land of Pamir, and then explored the south- 
ern slopes of the great Karakoram range, in 
Little Tibet. They ascertained that the peak of 
Dapsang, in this range, which has an elevation of 
28,278 feet, is the second highest mountain of the 
globe. Finally, crossing the Karakoram by a pass 
nearly 19,000 feet above the sea, they were the 
first Europeans to behold the great range of the 
Kuen-liin, — the last mountain-barrier guarding 
the countries of Central Asia. They still pushed 
forward and succeeded in crossing the Kiien-lun 
also ; but here, at the threshold of the most tempt- 
ing field of exploration, they found it prudent to 
return. All then together made their way back 
to India, where Hermann and Robert embarked 
for Europe in the spring of 1857. 

Adolf Schlagintweit, however, determined to 
take up the thread of discovery where it had been 
relinquished, and to cross Central Asia to the 


48 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


Russian possessions lying north of the Thian- 
Shan. Reports o the suceessful Tartar rebellion 
against Chinese rule had already reached Little 
Tibet, and the time seemed to be propitious for 
such an attempt. He passed the Karakoram and 
-the Kiien-lun in safety, made his' way to Yarkand, 
but was not allowed to enter its walls, and then 
pushed onward towards Kashghar. Although 
deserted by his Indian secretary and interpreter, 
and menaced with increasing danger as he ad- 
vanced, he reached Kashghar and presented him- 
self to Walle Khan, the insurgent chieftain, who 
was then besieging the Chinese fort. What 
happened then can never, perhaps, be correctly 
ascertained : the simple fact is that the unfor- 
tunate traveller was executed by Walle Khan’s 
order. All attempts to recover his papers have 
proved fruitless. 


CHAPTER IV. 


vigne’s journey to cashmere. 

M r. G. T. Vigne, one of the first and most 
thorough explorers of the valley of Cashmere, 
and the wild and difficult mountain regions of the 
upper Indus, on the borders of Central Asia, left 
England in 1832, and travelled leisurely, by way 
of Constantinople, Armenia and Persia, to India. 
His time and means seem both to have been 
ample ; he visited the principal cities of India and 
made a journey into Affghanistan, before com- 
mencing those excursions which led him into 
remote and only partially explored lands. 

In the summer of 1835, finally, he set out from 
Loodiana, in northern India, on his way to Cash- 
mere. Travelling slowly, by way of Bilaspore and 
Sultanpore, he gradually penetrated into the 
mountain country of the upper Sutlej ; which at 
that time was under the dominion of Runjeet 
Sing. The Punjab was then outside of the British 
territory, but the temporary success of English 
arms in Affghanistan gave a partial security to 
travel. 

The first part of the journey lay through those 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


50 

open valleys, among the lower Himalayas, which 
are called DJioons in India. The parallel and ever 
ascending chains of the mountains were divided by 
spaces a few miles in width, where the rich bottom- 
lands were dotted with hillocks of sandstone, 
covered with forests of firs, and occasionally 
seamed with deep and stony ravines, down which 
the little streams foamed and sparkled on their 
way to add their tributes to the classic flood of the 
Indus. The path, which in many places showed 
the remains of a pavement made by the Mogul 
Emperors, during the golden days of Delhi and 
Cashmere, wound among the hollows and emi- 
nences of the jungle ; sometimes direct, smooth 
and practicable for horses, then so rough and 
slippery that the traveller was obliged to dismount 
and make his way on foot. 

“The view,” says Mr. Vigne, “was incessantly 
changing. The land mark of any description that 
I had noticed in the distance was often lost when 
I had sought for it from the opposite side of the 
dell ; one mountain-top was quickly hidden by 
another, and the recess between was often shut up 
by some unforeseen but nearer object. A view 
such as I had reason to expect would not always 
be seen from the summit of an inviting ridge, and, 
on the contrary, after passing over a foreground of 
less promise, I would suddenly emerge upon a 
prospect of startling and extensive magnificence. 
The place of exit from the hills of one or other of 
the Punjab rivers could generally be pointed out 
to me ; the straths and gorges that opened upon 


VIGNE'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 


51 


the plains would often afford a peep into the inte- 
rior of the mountains, and the snowy ranges would 
be seen at the end of them. From one place the 
crests of the Palum Himalaya sank down upon the 
horizon behind me, or those of Chumba and Bud- 
rawar were extended in front, or the isolated 
Brihma was hiding itself among the distant clouds. 

“The noble Trekotar, frowning over the castle 
of Rihursi, and the debouchure of the Chunab 
river, would now become conspicuous, on account 
of its triple summit, and an elevation far exceeding 
what is usual among the lower hills upon the 
borders ; and the southern portion of the snowy 
Panjal of Cashmere would now come in sight, 
bounding the prospect to the northward, and 
circling, like a mighty wall, around the celebrated 
valley beyond it, where 

“ ‘ Summer, in a vale of flowers, 

Lay sleeping rosy at its feet.’ 

“ Upon the loftier divisions of the long, extended 
ridges of sandstone that crept along the plain 
parallel to the lower range, at a varying distance 
of five, ten or fifteen miles, were frequently to be 
seen the'ruins of an ancient fortress, originally the 
residence of some chieftain, who probably owned 
no authority but that of the Moguls ; or the less 
picturesque but somewhat more scientifically built 
strongholds of the Sikhs, with towers, curtains, 
loopholes, and embrasures, an inaccessible preci- 
pice beneath them, with a thick jungle or a torrent 
at its foot. 


52 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ The country had frequently been cleared to a 
very considerable extent, and large open spaces 
in the valleys were occupied by numerous corn- 
fields and rice-grounds, continued in plateaux up 
, the slope, in order to obtain the benefit of irriga- 
tion from the descending stream. The residence 
of the zemindar, or farmer, would often consist of 
a group of two or three cottages, built of mud and 
stones, or wood and bamboos, in some places flat- 
roofed, in others thatched with rice straw, and so 
neatly as to remind me of England. The path 
that led to them was often enclosed by hedgerows, 
and the dwelling was thus surrounded by a thick 
profusion of cactus, milk-plants, jujubes, acacias, 
plantains and bamboos. Conspicuous topes, or 
clusters of the larger trees, were scattered over 
the country ; the sacred peepul marked the 
locality of the Devi, or Hindoo shrine ; the cattle 
chewed the cud in security around it ; the dark- 
green and massive foliage of the mango trees threw 
a perpetual and grateful shade upon the village and 
the village well ; while the banyan, so beautifully 
described by Milton, dropped its dusty and fantas- 
tic branches within the clefts and interstices of the 
antiquated masonry by which the latter was encir- 
cled. 

“ But the indications of collective dwelling were 
not to be gathered only from the eye ; for, as I 
approached a village, I frequently heard a loud 
and discordant sound of voices in advance of me, 
and soon found that it proceeded from a dozen or 
two of old women, who were drawn up in line, 


VIGNE'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 


S3 


linked together by their arms thrown arouii’d each 
other’s necks, and who in this manner screamed 
forth (I cannot call it singing) a chorus, the words 
of which, I believe, contained a greeting to the 
passing stranger, and an appeal to his humanity 
for relief.” 

After a further journey of four or five days, pass- 
ing by some small but beautiful lakes, which are 
considered holy places by the Hindoos, Mr. Vigne 
approached the town of Jamu, on the borders of 
Cashmere. The Rajah, Golab Sing, sent him a 
palanquin for the last stage of the road, but he 
preferred entering the place on horseback. On 
arriving at Jamu, quarters were assigned to him in 
a garden below the hill on which the palace is 
built. “In the evening,” he writes, “Urjum Sing, 
the eldest son of the Rajah, came to pay me a visit. 
He seemed to have an inclination to corpulency, 
had regular features, but a round full face, and a 
heavy look. He was, nevertheless, said to be a 
young man of excellent abilities ; but an assumed 
and stupid air of indifference was upon him during 
our interview, though I attempted, through the 
medium of my interpreter, to draw him out in con- 
versation. It is often observable in the East, that 
an imperturbable countenance, and an apparent 
carelessness of what is going forward, do duty for 
greatness and dignity ; and I have usually re- 
marked that, among men in power, those who 
laugh and talk like Europeans, and are the least 
constrained in their deportment, are the best and 
most superior men. 


54 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ The next morning I ascended to the palace, by 
a long paved way that led up the hill. The town of 
Jamu is built upon the summit of the first wooded 
sloping ridge that rises from the plains of the Pun- 
jab, and at the place where it is divided by a 
narrow ravine, which allows an exit to the river 
Tani, on its way to its junction with the Chenab. 
The town is built upon the right bank of the 
ravine, and the white buildings of the palace, and 
of the fort, which is on the opposite side, are seen 
glistening in the sun, from a great distance on the 
plains. 

“ The court-yard of the palace was alive with 
the crowds of officers and attendants, gorgeously 
apparelled in red and yellow shawls and silks, and 
armed with spears, swords, shields and matchlocks. 
Two guns were discharged close to me, just as I 
entered, by way of salute ; and Golab Sing re- 
ceived me in the open pillared hall of the palace, 
and excused himself for not having called upon me, 
by saying that he had caught a rheumatism and 
stiffness in the limbs, in consequence of marching 
with Runjeet Sing to Peshawur ; all of which he 
supposed I should believe, as well as the assertion 
which he shortly afterwards made, that his ances- 
tors had reigned at Jamu for five thousand years ! 

“ He afterwards asked me whether it was true 
that the king of France paid tribute to the king of 
England, and some other questions equally absurd, 
by way of ascertaining whether I was disposed to 
deceive him. He exhibited his arms and discussed 
their various merits. Amongst them were some 


VIGNE'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 55 

Lell-inouthed blunderbusses, one of which he loaded 
and fired in the usual manner. It cannot be rested 
against the shoulder, as it carries a heavy charge, 
but it is held low, at arm’s length, by both hands, 
one grasping the barrel and the other the stock, so 
that it may swing as it recoils ; the right leg being 
kicked up behind in a very ridiculous manner, at 
the same time. The Rajah fired, and thinking 
that he had astonished me, looked at me for ap- 
plause, spoke of the number of men that such a 
weapon could wound at one discharge, and seemed 
a little disconcerted at my not expressing great 
wonder.” 

The next place which Mr. Vigne reached was 
Rihursi. It is a town of little importance, built on 
a level space at the foot of the mountains. Near 
it rises the Trekotar, which is visible for a great 
distance to the south ; it is divided, as its name 
implies, into three peaks, and towers in one steep 
slant to a height of 5,000 feet above the valley. 
On its summit, it is said, is a Hindoo shrine, at 
which cocoanuts are offered. The pass by which 
the mountains are first entered, on the way to 
Cashmere, is about four miles beyond Rihursi. It 
has an elevation of only a thousand feet above the 
plain ; on the other side the road descends to the 
Chunab river, across which the traveller and his 
party were drawn upon a rope bridge, the horses 
being forced to swim. 

The country rapidly became more wild and 
broken ; the precipitous ascents and descents 
made the road very fatiguing, and there were fre- 


56 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


quent chasms which must be crossed by rope 
bridges. Mr. Vigne attempted to sketch three 
women whom he met ; but no sooner had he com- 
menced than they ran away, climbed some trees 
with the activity of monkeys, and could not be in- 
duced to come down again. He gives the following 
description of the native villages : “They are 
clusters of flat-roofed huts, the poorer kinds look- 
ing very dirty, with smoke marks on the walls, 
and cakes of cow-dung sticking to them, for the 
purpose of being dried and used as fuel. The better 
kind of hut is distinguished by its new and clean 
mud walls ; the ends of the rafters project neatly 
from the sides of the building, and the roof itself is 
free from holes, e.xcept the one used as a chimney. 
The windows of these huts are mere chinks in the 
walls, and the doors are not above five feet high ; 
while the chief man’s house is recognized by the 
doorway being of greater height, the windows 
larger and more numerous, and it sometimes boasts 
of an up-stairs room, from which he can see over 
the whole village. 

“ On the roofs, and around and below, are to be 
seen men scarcely clothed, sitting, sleeping, cook- 
ing and eating ; women spinning, knitting and 
kneading, or combing and braiding their own black 
and well-oiled hair. Children amuse themselves 
with quarrelling and grovelling in the dust, in com- 
pany with dogs and poultry. The best-dressed 
man in the village is usually the shopkeeper, who 
may be seen sitting on his shop-board, with his 
bowl of copper and cowries for small chanr-" 'vnd 


VINET’S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 57 

heaps of flour, Indian corn, red-pepper, spices and 
other articles of Indian cookery. On the plain, at 
a short distance from the village, will be seen the 
carcase of a horse or cow, and some ten or twenty 
vultures sitting on and around it, and keeping 
other animals at a respectful distance. Monkeys 
chatter, doves coo, jackdaws caw, and kites scream 
as they whirl about incessantly in search of offal ; 
while half-starved cattle remain in groups near 
the well, under the banyan and mango trees. 

“ The common wants of travellers, of whatever 
faith, country or calling, oblige them to halt near 
a well for the night. There the itinerant merchant 
cooks his supper, places a guard over his mer- 
chandise, and lies down to rest ; and the sepoy on 
leave, the robber by profession, and the Thug 
disguised as best suits his purpose for the morrow, 
are soon in a state of repose. The pious follower 
of Mahomet is seen bending and bowing at his 
evening prayers, rising from them more probably 
a better Mussulman than a better man ; the Brah- 
min, distinguished by the string which is a sign 
of his caste, mutters his prayers as he performs his 
ablutions ; and the Hindoo fakeer, with his person 
plastered over with mud, and the wild and fero- 
cious expression of his countenance rendered more 
sinister by the use of hasheesh and opium, is often 
to be seen for days together in the same place 
pear the well, because he is aware tl at the sanc- 
tity of his character and appearance will secure 
him alms, or a supply of food, from those who 
must resort to it.” 


58 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


The next place Mr. Vigne reached was Rajawur, 
where he was very well received by the Rajah, a 
strongly-made, intelligent man, who had six toes 
on each foot. “ In the middle of the first night of 
my stay,” he writes, “ I was awakened by the 
intelligence that one of my Hindoo servants was 
very ill with cholera. He had been eating of some 
raw roots while we w'ere waiting in the garden. 
I found him nearly senseless, and to all appearance 
d\ ing, while the good Rajah and a number of peo- 
ple were standing near his bed. I immediately 
uncorked the cholera medicine that I had brought 
with me from Bombay, and was proceeding to 
administer it, when somebody uttered the word 
‘ wine.’ It flew from mouth to mouth ; the Rajah 
himself objected, but mildly, to my giving wine to 
a Mussulman ; and the man himself, although at 
the last gasp, and a great rascal as I afterwards 
found, having understood that I was about to give 
him wine, protested against such a proceeding, 
by moving his hand before his mouth, and making 
a grimace as if he had taken the most nauseous 
medicine. I declared that it was not wine — nor 
was it (only it contained a large proportion ot 
brandy) ; he then swallowed it, opened his eyes 
almost instantly, and said that now he could re- 
cognize me. In short, I soon got him round, and 
the next day he was walking about as if nothing 
had happened, rather pleased than otherwise at 
having been an object of so much interest. The 
Rajah and the others returned to their rest, talking 
loudly in praise of the wonderful medicine. Hav- 


VINET'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 


59 


ing occasion again to refer to the same bottle, in 
treating another patient, I missed the contents, 
although it was well corked, and could get no 
account of it.” 

Eleven miles beyond Rajawur is the town of 
Thana, at the foot of the lofty Panjal range, which 
separates the Vale of Cashmere from the plains of 
India. Here there is a large caravanserai for 
travellers, built of red brick, and the work of 
the Mogul Emperors. The houses of the town 
are curiously crowded together in tiers, on every 
available spot, on a precipice overhanging a river, 
and shaded by walnut and mulberry trees. Every 
pathway was a gutter, containing running water. 
The inhabitants are Cashmerians, who gain a 
subsistence by spinning and weaving. The place 
is 5,000 feet above the sea, yet early in the morn- 
ing, on the 13th of July, the mercury stood at 
seventy-four degrees in the shade. 

After leaving Thana, the ascent of the first 
range soon begins, and the traveller and his path 
are hidden in the recesses of the jungle. To con- 
tinue Mr. Vigne’s narrative ; “ The first object I 
remarked was a well, with some old equestrian 
reliefs on the stonework around it ; then, upon 
turning a corner, I saw some old and tattered 
garments by the wayside, and a human foot, the 
remnant of a body that had been devoured by 
jackals, vultures and hyenas. I found afterwards 
that not a day passed while I was on the way to 
Cashmere, and even when travelling in the valley, 
that I did not see the bleache.l remains of some 


6o 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


unfortunate wretch who had fallen a victim either 
to sickness or starvation. 

“ Two of the largest mountain-eagles I had ever 
seen were circling in the air, over the hamlet of 
four or hve log-houses on the summit. The khan 
of Thana was seen as a speck at the foot of the 
ascent, and the ranges I had passed through were 
visible as far as the plains. But I only glanced at 
a view that was comparatively tame, and turned to 
the prospect of the Panjal range, and the vast 
depths that were yet to be passed on this side of 
it. The peak of Tata Koti, reported by the natives 
to be composed of crystal, rose conspicuously 
among a line of others, rearing themselves with a 
grandeur of elevation that, to an eye unaccus- 
tomed to mountain scenery, would seem to defy 
all ascent. I halted to sketch the view, and then 
commenced the descent to Barumgulu, the ‘defile 
of rains,’ — rejoicing in the sight of snow, which was 
now so near me, and invigorated by the mere re- 
flection that I should cross the Panjal on the third 
day afterwards. A lofty forest of pines and 
deodars covered the whole face of the mountains 
in the foreground. The horse-chestnut tree was 
also very numerous, and the bark upon its long 
straight stem was split into flakes, and curled so 
as to bear a strong resemblance to that of the 
hickory in the American forests. 

“ Beyond Barumgulu, the elevation of which 
above the sea is 6800 feet, the way to Cashmere 
continues northward, up the bed of a stream which 
descends the ravine with great impetuosity. It is 


yjAEU'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 6l 

crossed and recrossed, within a short distance, by 
at least thirty wooden bridges, each of them about 
thirty feet in length. Three of them were to be 
repaired for me, by order of the Rajah. The last 
was not ready when I arrived, and I sat quietly on 
the bank with my people, while the villagers of 
Barumgulu cut down trees of sufficient length for 
the purpose ; and one of these, which was up- 
raised and allowed to fall to the opposite bank, 
was made a bridge to one of the party, who crossed 
upon it and then adjusted a second tree, pushed 
across by means of the first. Branches were then 
placed upon them, and made sufficiently secure 
even for the footing of a horse. 

“ I halted for the night at the village of Poshi- 
ana, which contains about one hundred houses, 
whose roofs rest against the bank, by which they 
are in some measure protected from the effects of 
snow-storms. It lies considerably beneath the 
limit of forest, but there are very few trees near it. 
The green slope on the side of which it is built, 
and the summit of which is seven or eight hundred 
feet above it, affords a pasturage for sheep and 
goats ; but cultivation is almost entirely confined 
to turnips. It is customary, for those who can 
afford it, to sacrifice a sheep or goat before ascend- 
ing to the Panjal summit, and the head is carried 
to the fakeer, who lives in a stone hut close to the 
tower, during the summer months. I complied 
with the custom, at the request of the Mahometan 
part of my re^ique ; the priest said a prayer for a 
safe ascent on the morrow, and the goat was im- 


62 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


mediately made lawful eating, that is, had its 
throat cut under a white flag in front of my quarters. 

“ There was another steep but not very long dip 
into a valley, and on the opposite side of it com- 
menced an ascent, which hardly ceased until it 
reached the summit of the Panjal. The path was 
in very good condition, and I was able to ride 
■"nearly the whole distance. An hour’s travel from 
Poshiana brought me to the edge of the lowest 
snow, which was arched and hardened over a 
small stream of its own creation. The forest 
began to be much thinned, but vegetation was 
still profuse, and roses and many other wild 
flowers were in full bloom. The hill, near the 
summit, is bare of trees, but a fine turf is visible 
where the snow has melted. Another final ascent, 
and I suddenly found myself on the summit of the 
Pir Panjal. 

“ An octagonal tower, twenty feet high, built 
of small loose fragments of rock, and a wooden 
frame, rears itself over the very brink of the de- 
scent ; and close to it, on the opposite side of the 
path, is the stone hut of the Mussulman fakeer, 
who usually has by him a small store of flour, 
bread, tobacco and water, for which travellers are 
glad to remunerate him in some way or other. He 
thankfully accepted my offering of the sheep’s 
head, and was still better pleased with a little 
money which I gave him. He was a good-humored 
looking person, short and shaven, with a chubby 
face, but little intellect in his countenance, and a 
twinkling expression of cunning in his eye. In 


VINET'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 63 


winter he cannot remain on the Panjal, on account 
of the snow, and in summer months he presents 
himself wrapped up in the folds of a large blanket, 
which envelops him from head to foot and makes 
him look as broad as he is long. 

“The Jesuit missionary, Pere Hypolite Desideii, 
who crossed the Panjal Pass in 1714, says: ‘The 
Gentiles have a profound respect for this mountain ; 
they carry offerings thither, and they offer super- 
stitious worship to an old man, to whom, as they 
pretend, the charge of the place is confided. This 
is doubtless a fragment of the remembrance which 
they have of the fabulous history of Prometheus, 
which, according to the fictions of the poets, 
belonged to the Caucasus. Whatever may be 
indicated by the play of the lightning, and the 
presence of the vultures, — 

‘ On Imatls bred, 

WHiose snowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds, 

Dislodging from a region scarce of prey. 

To gorge the flesh of lambs or yearling kids. 

Oil hills where flocks are fed, flies towards the springs 
Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams’ — 

the little fakeer, whom I saw on the Panjal, was 
certainly not a person who looked as if he could 
act the part of Prometheus. 

“ The view from the Panjal in the direction of 
the plains, is, of course, magnificent. The dif- 
ferent ranges which I had crossed on the way, and 
even the points where I had crossed them, were 
visible in the distance. I looked down on the 
roofs of Poshiana, where I had slept, and could 


64 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


distinguish the situaLicn, and even ths buildings 
and smoke, of Rajawur. Indistinctness pervaded 
every part of the gray-colored expanse of the 
plains, and I vainly tried, with my telescope, to 
detect the minarets of imperial Lahore, which may 
be perceived with the naked eye in very clear 
weather, though about 130 miles distant. 

“ The limit of forest, or the height above which 
forest-trees will not grow, as laid down by Hodg- 
son and others from their observations in Alpine 
India, on the east of the Sutlez, is 11,500 feet. 
The summit of the Panjal Pass is about 300 feet 
above the limit of forest ; my thermometer gave 
me about 12,000 feet ; so that I am justified in 
laying down its height at 11,800 feet, or there- 
abouts. The temperature at mid-day, July i6th, 
was 66'’. Birches and firs seemed to contend for 
the highest place ; the birch has the best of it 
generally. Above this, the only plant that I re- 
member in the shape of a tree is the dwarf juniper, 
and this is to be seen at different altitudes, up to 
12,000 feet, on the mountains around Cashmere and 
in Tibet. The descent from the Panjal towards 
the Vale of Cashmere, which is very gentle, com- 
mences immediately, and the snow-capped moun- 
tain tops are divided by an inclined and verdant 
plain, on which bloomed numerous varieties ot 
flowers. Amongst them I joyfully noticed many 
that were common in England ; and as I trod the 
green carpet beneath me, I found myself refreshed 
by inhaling the cool breeze richly burdened with 
all the perfume of an English clover-field. 


VINETS JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 6 $ 


“ The defile on the northern side is extremely 
narrow, and the stream occupies the whole of the 
space between its banks ; but it soon afterwards 
opens on a splendid view. The valley of the 
stream suddenly sinks below the level of the path, 
and I looked down upon a beautiful meadow, from 
which the precipitous slopes of the Panjal suddenly 
rose with all their majesty, and clothed with a fir- 
forest to the very bed of the stream that rushed 
along their bases. Finally, after crossing the 
stream by a wooden bridge, I found myself at the 
small village of Huripore, where the steepness ot 
the descent ceases. The next morning, after 
proceeding for two or three miles through the 
woods, the plains of Cashmere came full in 
sight. The lofty mountains on the other side 
of the valley, distant from thirty to thirty-five 
miles, were shrouded in clouds, and a part only 
of the snowy ridge, with a few isolated peaks, 
were to be seen here and there at intervals. 

“ The first object on nearing Shupeyon, the next 
town, was a wooden mosque, by the wayside, 
whence there is a view in the direction of the city 
of Cashmere. This mosque is of the same pattern 
as that which I afterwards found to be common 
throughout the valley. It partakes of the aspect 
and architecture of the pagodas of China, but 
the slope of the roof is straight instead of being 
concave. Its basement, ten to twenty yards 
square, is of stone or wood, raised a few feet from 
the ground, and supporting eight or ten pillars 
deeply grooved, with bases and capitals formed of 


66 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


fantastically sculptured leaves. The interior is 
also square, and is generally a beautiful specimen 
of wood-work. The windows and doors are Sara- 
cenic, with rich lattice-worked panels instead of 
glass. 

“ Shupeyon is now a miserable place, bearing 
the impress of having been once a thriving town. 
Its dwellings, now chiefly in ruins, are but the re- 
mains of what once were houses, of two or three 
cr four stoiies in height, with gable ends and 
sloping roofs of wood. Large sheets of birch bark, 
which is nearly impervious to moisture, are laid 
over the rafters, and upon them is spread a layer of 
earth, which is ohen planted with flowers. The 
walls are of brick, burnt or sun-dried, and secured 
in a frame of wood, as a prevention against the 
effects of earthquakes. 

“ In the farm-houses, the upper stories are often 
entirely of wood. The windows are rectangular, 
numerous, and disposed in rows, as in Europe. 
Exquisitely finished trellis-work, displaying a great 
variety of Moorish patterns, usurps the place of a 
window-frame ; the thin paper of the country is 
pasted over it and does duty for glass, so that 
warmth is thus obtained at the expense of light. 
Some of the rooms have fire-places, but the smoke 
is always allowed to escape through a hole in the 
wall above them. The houses are usually separate, 
with small gardens between them. There are also 
orchards of standard fruit-trees, and mulberries, 
apples, pears, peaches, apricots and roses, are to 
be had in abundance, in their proper season. 


W- 


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MOUNTAIN SCENE NEAR CASHMERE. 



VJGNE'S JOURNEY TO CASHMERE. 


67 


“ The hill of Shupeyon rises from the plain about 
one mile, from the town : it is composed of trap 
rock, and its height is about 350 feet. I thence 
enjoyed a first and excellent view of the valley, 
which was hardly broken throughout its whole 
length of ninety miles, and entirely surrounded by 
snowy mountains. Far to the left, over the ex- 
treme north-western end of the valley, rtDse the 
snow-peaks of Durawur ; the two or three small 
hills, breaking the level surface of the valley, were 
distinguished with difficulty ; and the whole of the 
intervening slopes of the Pir Panjal, from the snow 
downward into the valley, are covered with a 
magnificent forest of pines, thirty miles in length 
and from three to seven miles in width. The 
valley of Cashmere is generally a verdant plain, 
ninety miles in length aud twenty-five miles in 
its greatest width, at the southern end, between 
the cataract of Arabul and the ruius of the great 
temple of Martund ; surrounded on every side by 
snowy mountains, into which there are numerous 
inlets, forming glens on a level with the plain, but 
each with a lofty pass at its upper extremity. 
There are many elevated points of view from 
which this extraordinary hollow gave me, at first 
sight, an idea of its having been originally formed 
by the falling in of an exhausted volcanic region. 

“The interest taken in a view of the Valley of 
Cashmere would certainly be rather that of the 
agriculturist than of the prospect-hunter ; but 
nothing can be more truly sylvan than the greater 
part of the mountain scenery. It has not, however, 


68 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the verdure of the tropics. The trees, it is true, 
in many instances, may differ from those of Europe ; 
but with the exception of occasional beautiful 
masses of deodars, the aspect of the forest, at a 
little distance, is wholly European. Looking from 
the hill of Shupeyon, innumerable villages were 
scattered over the plains in every direction, 
distinguishable in the extreme distance by the trees 
that surrounded them : all was soft and verdant, 
even up to the snow on the mountain-top ; and I 
gazed in surprise, excited by the vast extent and 
admirably defined limits of the valley, and the 
almost perfect proportions of height to distance, 
by which its scenery appeared to be universally 
characterized.” 


CHAPTER V. 


HIE VALLEY OF CASHMERE AND THE RUINS OF 
MARTUND. 

M r. VIGNE is a confused and somewhat 
perplexing narrator. The thread of his 
journey is constantly lost amid a multitude of 
small geographical details, and interwoven with 
the accounts of other journeys, made in other 
seasons, in the same region. We shall, therefore, 
endeavor to select those passages which possess 
the most interest and value, concerning the Vale 
of Cashmere, and resume the direct narrative when 
we find the traveller compelled, by the nature of 
his subject, to confine himself to it. 

In passing onward through the valley, Mr. Vigne 
encountered scenes of ruin and desolation, in 
striking contrast with its natural beauty and fer- 
tility. Earthquake, cholera, famine, and the inva- 
sions of Runjeet Sing had terribly devastated the 
once thickly peopled country. Many of the houses 
were tenantless and deserted ; the fruit was drop- 
ping unheeded from the trees ; the orchards were 
overgrown with a profusion of wild hemp and wild 
indigo ; but the graveyards were still covered with 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


;o 

blue and wliite iris-flowers, which are always 
planted over them, partly for ornament, and 
partly because the roots being matted together, 
prevent the turf from falling in. Enough re- 
mained, however, to show how neat and com- 
fortable the villages had once been. There was 
always a clear, rapid brook at hand, with green 
turf on its banks, shaded by fine walnut-trees, 
and the bryn, resembling the English elm. Around 
the base of the gigantic chunar-trees, there was 
always a raised bench of wood or stone, for the 
village gossips, a few of whom still lingered in 
their half-deserted homes, — some sleeping, and 
others praying, or smoking. 

The city of Shahbad, the largest place in the 
southern part of the valley, was a ruin, and there 
was scarcely anything to be seen of the ancient 
palace ofthe Moguls. Its environs were overgrown 
with nettles and wild hemp. The orchards ol 
Shahbad, however, still produced the best apples, 
and the wheat grown there is considered the 
finest in Cashmere. The people, also, are very 
fond of bread made of buckwheat flour. A few 
miles from the city is th-e celebrated fountain of 
Vernag, a favorite place of the Mogul Emperors. 
“ The palace,” says Mr. Vigne, “ is now a ruin 
with scarcely any of the beauties of a ruin, and the 
country is overgrown with weeds and jungle. 
But neither time nor tyranny can make any change 
in the magnificent spring of Vernag. Its waters 
are received into a basin partly made by the Em- 
peror Jehangir : the circumference is about 125 


THE VALLEY OF CASHMERE. 


71 


yards, and the whole is surrounded by a low octag- 
onal wall, in which are twenty-four niches, each 
of eight feet in height. The water is beautifully 
clear, 25 feet deep, and swarming with Himalaya 
trout. 

“ In the interior, on the wall, there is the fol- 
lowing inscription : ‘ This place of unequalled 
beauty, was raised to the skies by Jehangir Shah ; 
consider well. Its date is found in the sentence, — 
Palace of the Fountain of Vernag.’ In the Persian 
language, letters are also used for the expression 
of numbers, and the letters in the foregoing 
sentence are equivalent to the number 1029 (of the 
Hegira) which answers to A. D. 1619. Over the 
entrance is written : ‘ This fountain has come from 
the springs of Paradise !’ 

“ I have been twice in Cashmere when the new 
snow has fallen,” says Mr. Vigne, apropos of a de- 
scription of some of the other mountain passes. 
“ About the lOth of December the summits of the 
Panjal are enveloped in a thick mist, and the snow 
usually falls before the 20th. This is the great fall 
which usually closes the passes for the winter. It 
frequently happens that a casual fall takes place a 
month or three weeks earlier : this remains on 
the ground for three or four days, and then disap- 
pears before the sun. I am now speaking of the 
snow upon the plains of Cashmere. It occasion- 
ally falls on the mountains as early as September, 
and the cold blasts which it produces do great 
injury to the later rice-crops. 

“ They have a custom throughout these countries, 


72 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


which answers in some respects to what we call 
making an April fool. When the new snow falls, 
one person will try to deceive another into holding 
a little in his hand ; and accordingly he will 
present it to him (making some remark by way of 
a blind at the same time) concealed in a piece of 
cloth, or a stick, or an apple, folded in the leaves 
of a book, or wrapped up in a letter. If the per- 
son inadvertently takes what is thus presented to 
him, the other has a right to show him the snow 
he has thus received, and to rub it in his face, or 
to pelt him with it, accompanied by the remark : 
‘ New snow is innocent !’ and to demand, also, a 
forfeit of an entertainment, or a dance, or some 
other boon, of the person he has deceived. The 
most extreme caution, is, of course, used by every 
one upon that day. Ahmed Shah, of Little Tibet, 
told me that some one once attempted to deceive 
him by presenting him with a new gun-barrel, and 
pretending that he wished for his opinion about 
it ; but that he instantly detected the snow in the 
barrel, and had the man paraded through the 
neighborhood on a donkey, with his face turned 
towards the tail.” 

“ Islamabad is the next place to be visited, and 
is the largest town in the valley, the capital city 
alone excepted. It is now but a shadow of its 
former self. It contains but six or seven hundred 
houses ; many of them are ornamented with most 
elegant trellis and lattice -work, but their present 
ruined and neglected appearance is placed in 
wretched contrast with their once gay and happy 


THE VALLEY OF CASHMERE. 


73 


condition, and speaks volumes, upon the light and 
Joyous prosperity that has long fled the country, 
on account of the shameless rapacity of the ruth- 
less Sikh. 

“ Islamabad is situated on the westward of, and 
under a hill which rises to the height of about 
three hundred and fifty feet above it, commanding 
an exquisite view of the plain and the mountains 
at the southern end of the valley. From its foot 
flows the holy fountain of Anat Nag, the first 
waters of which are received into tanks whose sides 
are built up with stone, embellished with a wooden 
pavilion, and overshadowed with large chunar- 
trees. Around them are numerous idlers, Cash- 
merians, Sikh soldiers, Hindoo fakeers, and dogs, 
reposing in the enjoyment of a cool air and de- 
licious shade. In the evening two or three aged 
Pundits were to be seen making their way to the 
place near which the spring issues from the rock, 
and afterwards kneeling over the water, and 
mumbling their prayers as their fathers had done 
before them, by the glare of lighted pieces of 
split pine. 

“ At the village of Mar-tund, or ‘ the sun,’ half 
an hour’s ride from Islamabad, is the most holy 
spring in all Cashmere. It is said that, after the 
valley was dried, small hills and caves appeared, 
and that Kashef Rishi, a holy sage, walked about 
in the greatest delight ; that he accidentally found 
an egg shining most brilliantly, which he picked 
up. It broke in his hand, and from it flowed the 
springs of Maha-Martund, ‘ The great God of the 


74 


CEXTRAL ASIA. 


Sun,’ sacred to Vishnu. Houses and Hindoos 
surround the small tank which is formed near it, 
and which swarms with Himalaya trout ; but the 
superstitious Pundits objected to my catching one 
with my hand, — which would not have been diffi- 
cult, on account of the number, and the eagerness 
with which they are fed. 

“ On the highest part of the plain, where it 
commences a rise to its junction with the moun- 
tains, are situated the ruins of the Hindoo temple 
of Martund, or Surya (the Sun), or, as it is com- 
monly called, the ‘ Pandoo-Koroo,’ or the house 
of the Pandoos and Koroos, — of whom it is not 
necessary to say more than that they are the 
Cyclopes of the East. Every old building, of whose 
origin the poorer classes of Hindoos, in general, 
have no information, is believed to have been the 
work of the Pandoos. As an isolated ruin, this 
deserves, on account of its solitary and massive 
grandeur, to be ranked, not only as the first ruin 
of the kind in Cashmere, but as one of the noblest 
among the architectural relics of antiquity which 
are to be seen in any country. Its noble and ex- 
posed situation at the foot of the hills reminded 
me of that of the Escurial : it has no forest of cork- 
trees and evergreen oaks before it, nor is it to be 
compared in point of size to that stupendous build- 
ing ; but it is visible from as great a distance, and 
the Spanish Sierras cannot for a moment be placed 
in competition with the verdant magnificence of 
the mountain scenery of Cashmere. 

“ On the northern side of the temple, at the dis- 


T[TF. RUINS OF MARTUND. 


75 


tance of 1 50 yards, stand a few apricot-tree s, and the 
residence of a fakeer, whose province is to super- 
intend the existence of a well called the well of 
I larut-Marut. Harut and Marut, so say the Mus- 
sulmans, were two angels who represented to the 
Almighty that the inhabitants of the earth were 
plunged in wickedness, and were then sent down- 
wards for the purpose of improving them ; but, 
having descended accidentally upon the house of 
a courtesan, they were surprised into an unhal- 
lowed liking for her society, and neglected the 
work of reformation to which they were appointed. 
They were, therefore, punished by being shut up 
in a well ; and the Cashmerians say that this is 
the place of their imprisonment. 

“ At present, all that remains of the Pandoo- 
Koroo, or temple of Martund, consists of a central 
and rectangular building, surrounded by a court or 
quadrangle, and a rectangular colonnade, facing 
inwards. The length of the outer side of the wall, 
which is blank, is about 90 yards ; that of the front 
is about 56. The remains of three gateways open- 
ing into the court are now standing ; the principal 
of these fronts due east towards Islamabad. It is 
also rectangular in its details, and built with enor- 
mous blocks of limestone six or eight feet in length, 
and one of nine, all of proportionate solidity, and 
cemented with an excellent mortar. There are, I 
think, about twenty of the pillars of the colonnade, 
along the inside of the wall, now remaining, out 
of more than double the number. The height of 
the shaft of each pillar is six feet, of the capital 


76 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


twenty inches, and of the base two feet. Between 
each two pillars are trefoiled niches in the walls. 
The height of the wall, when the building was 
perfect, must have been about fifteen feet, and 
that of the doorway eight feet. 

“ On the interior of the west front there are six 
pillars on each side of the gate ; the east side is a 
heap of ruins. The capitals of the larger pillars 
are ornamented with dentils ; the shaft, which is 
grooved rather than fluted, is surmounted by an 
ornamented neck of beads. The bases are so dis- 
figured by time that I can scarcely conjecture what 
they may have been. The form of the arch is tre- 
foil, with the bust of a female figure as an orna- 
ment over the top. A bank of stones and rubbish 
occupies the place where there was originally a 
flight of steps leading to the doorway. Though 
not a vestige of them remains, there can be no 
doubt of the fact, as many of the other old temples 
in the valley are constructed more or less on the 
same plan as that of Martund, and have steps, or 
the remains of steps, in front of them. 

“ The largest stone in the whole building rests 
over the entrance to the inner chamber or 
crypt : it is not less than ten feet in length and 
about a yard in thickness. The whole of the inte- 
rior is covered with stones that hav'^c been shaken 
down from the roof, and I was informed that there 
was a spring in the corner of the inner building, 
which is now blocked up by them. It was once 
apparently two stories high ; and at all events, if 
I am to judge from other ruins, particularly that of 


THE RUINS OF MARTUND. 


77 


Pandrynton, near the city, the upper part was 
certainly pyramidal. Its height, now about forty 
feet, has been diminished by earthquakes, even 
within the memory of man. It needs no living 
evidence to persuade any one that this was the 
case, a great part of the quadrangle being strewed 
with enormous blocks of limestone, of which the 
building is entirely composed. 

“ Details, characteristic of different styles, are 
observable in the architecture of the temple of 
Martund. The pyramidal top would remind us of 
Egypt and the fire altar. The flying buttress, by 
which I suppose the wings to have been connected 
with the centre buildings, would savor of the 
Gothic. The horizontal entablature, supported by 
the columns in the peristyle, would, as Professor 
Whewell has obligingly remarked to me, have a 
resemblance to the Grecian ; and also, that, as the 
columns of the gate rise above the pillars of the 
wall, without bearing any definite relation to them, 
that part of the building may be Egyptian, Hindoo, 
or anything but Grecian. 

“ The greater part of the old ruins in Cashmere 
were built between the times of Asoka (250 B. C.) 
and the end of the reign of Avante Verma, in 
A. D. 875 ; but the same style is apparent in all of 
them, and the same formation of the arch has been 
followed in all. The style of architecture used in 
the religious buildings in Europe for the first 
thousand years of the Christian period is the 
Romanesque ; and much of the description of it by 
Prof. Whewell appears to me to apply generally 


78 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


to the buildings in Cashmere. Few of these i uins, 
I should say, if any, were Buddhist ; those in or 
upon the edge of the water were rather, I should 
suppose, referable to the worship ol the Nagas, or 
snake-gods. 

“I had been struck with the great general 
resemblance which the temple bore to the recorded 
disposition of the ark, and its surrounding curtains, 
in imitation of which the temple at Jerusalem was 
built ; and it became for a moment a question 
whether the Cashmerian temples had not been 
built by Jewish architects, who had recommended 
them to be constructed on the same plan, for the 
sake of convenience merely. It is, however, a 
curious fact that in Abyssinia, the ancient Ethiopia, 
which was also called Kush, the ancient Christian 
churches, as I am informed by Mr. Wolff, are not 
unlike those of Cashmere. 

“ As I would conclude from its insulated situa- 
tion, its climate, and other advantages alone, that 
Cashmere has been a place of consequence from 
the very earliest ages, so would I also infer that 
its architecture, or some of its peculiarities, like 
that of Egypt, is more likely to have afforded a 
prototype than to be a copy of any known style ; 
and that it may be pronounced to be peculiar to 
the valley. I, at least, know of nothing exactly 
like it in Hindustan, nor anything resembling it in 
any country to the westward of the Indus. 

“ Without being able to boast, either in extent 
or magnificence, of an approach to equality with 
the temple of the sun at Palmyra, or the ruins of 


THE RUINS OF MAR FUND. 


79 


the palace at Persepolis, the Pandoo-Koroo ot 
Martund is not without pretensions to a locality 
of scarcely inferior interest, and deserves to be 
ranked with them, as the leading specimen of a 
gigantic style of architecture that has decayed 
with the religion it was intended to cherish, and 
the prosperity of a country which it could not but 
adorn. In situation it is far superior to either. 
Palmyra is surrounded by an ocean of sand, and 
Peisepolis overlooks a marsh ; but the Temple of 
the Sun, or Martund, is built on a natural platform 
at the foot of some of the noblest mountains, and 
beneath its ken lies what is undoubtedly the finest 
and most picturesque valley in the known world. 
The prospect from the green slope behind it is seen 
to the greatest advantage upon the approach of 
evening, when the whole landscape is yet in sun- 
shine, but about to undergo a change ; when the 
broad daylight still rests upon the snowy peaks of 
the Panjal, but commences a retreat before their 
widening shadows in the valley beneath them. 
The luminous and yellow spot in which we recog- 
nize the foliage of the distant chunar-tree is sud- 
denly extinguished ; village after village becomes 
wrapped in comparative obscurity ; and the last 
brilliant beams of an Asiatic setting sun repose 
for a while upon the gray walls that seem to have 
been raised on purpose to receive them, and dis- 
play the ruins of their own temple in the boldest 
^nd most beautiful relief. With the exception of 
the fakeer’s dwelling, there is not a vestige of hu- 
man habitation upon the green waste. A solitary 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


£o 

villager may be seen passing from one district to 
another ; a few cattle may be grazing in the dis- 
tance, and a shepherd or two may be seen collect- 
ing their flocks for the night, while only the 
bleating of their charge disturbs the silence. 

“ Though there are, perhaps, not less than sev- 
enty or eighty of these old Hindoo buildings in the 
valley, yet, after having seen Martund, there are 
but four or five others ofsufificient interest to claim 
a visit from the traveller.” 


CHAPTER VI. 


SRINAGUR, THE CAPITAL OF CASHMERE, — CITY, 
ENVIRONS, SHAWLS, AND INHABITANTS. 

HE town of Islamabad is situated on the river 


Jelum, which rises within the valley of Cash- 
mere, and a boat, with good rowers, will descend 
to the famous city of Srinagur, the capital, in 
twelve hours. The traveller, however, sees little 
except mud-banks of ten to twenty feet in height, 
which effectually shut out any prospect, except 
that of the mountain-tops. 

“ Before entering the city,” says Mr. Vigne, “ it 
will be best to notice the centre of the valley. 
Its general features are rice-fields, irrigated in 
plateaux, open meadows, cornfields, and villages 
embosomed in trees ; elevated alluvial plains, that, 
either from position, or from being protected by a 
rocky base, have escaped being washed away by 
the large and numerous streams that descend from 
the slopes of the Panjal to a junction with the 
Jelum, and have furrowed and divided them, more 
or less, throughout the whole length of the course 
of the river. The height of the cliff, or terrace, 
which they form, varies from sixty to a hundred 
and twenty feet. Here and there a remarkable 



82 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


hill rises from the plain, crowned with a shrine or 
mosque, or a tuft of fir-trees, giving a pleasing 
variety to the landscape, which is comparatively 
bare of forest. 

“ As I approached the city, I was struck by the 
Tukt-i-Suliman (Throne of Solomon), an isolated 
hill, about three-quarters of a mile in length, and 
four hundred and fifty feet in height, bare of trees, 
but covered with long grass where the rock pe r- 
mitted it to grow. It is divided from the moun- 
tains by a wide ravine, from which opens a view of 
the city lake, and through which is constantly 
blowing a breeze that must tend to prevent stag- 
nation of its waters. This singular hill is called 
by the Hindoos Sir-i-Shur, or Siva’s head, in 
contradistinction to Huri-purbut, the Hill of Huri, 
or Vishnu, on the opposite side of the city. 

“ There are the remains of an ancient Hindoo 
temple on the summit. The interior has been 
plastered over and whitewashed by the Sikhs, and 
it is said that beneath it there is an ancient inscrip- 
tion ; there is also one in Persian, which informs us 
that a fakeer resided there, who called himself the 
water-carrier of King Solomon, and was in the 
habit of descending every day to the lake, for the 
purpose of drawing water. A foot-path leads up 
the ascent from the city side ; wh-ile, from the 
other, a good hill-pony can carry its rider to the 
summit. I knew the foot-path well, as, for almost 
every day during a month, I used to go up in order 
to complete a panoramic drawing of the valley. 
Softness, mantling over the sublime, is the pre- 


SK/XAJUK, TJIE CAr/l'AL OF CASHMERE. 83 


vailing characteristic of the scenery of Cashmere ; 
verdure and forest appear to have deserted the 
countries on the northward, in order to embellish 
the slopes from its snowy mountains, give ad- 
ditional richness to its plains, and combine with its 
delightful climate to render it not unworthy of the 
rhyming epithets applied to it in the East, — 

‘ Kashmir, bi-nuzir , — without an equal ; 

Kashmir, junat piizi , — equal to Paradise.’ 

“ Beautiful, indeed, is the panoramic view that 
meets the eye of the spectator from the Throne ol 
Solomon, and which, taken far and near, is one 

‘ sweet interchange 

Of hill and valley, rivers, woods and plains. 

Now land, now lake, and shores with forest crowned, 
Rocks, dens and caves.’ 

“ The city, which lies to the north-west, may be 
said to commence at the foot of this hill ; and on 
the other side of it, two miles to the northward, is 
the fort of Cashmere, built upon Huri Purbut, 
whose top is about 250 feet above the level of the 
lake, which occupies the space that intervenes 
between these two ‘ portals of light ’ and the 
mountains surrounding the valley. 

“ The aspect of the city itself is curious, but not 
particularly striking. It presents an innumerable 
assemblage of house-gables, interspersed with the 
pointed and metallic tops of mosques, melon- 
grounds, sedgy inlets from the lake, and narrow 
canals, fringed with rows of willows and poplars. 
The surface of the lake itself is perfectly tranquil. 


84 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


and the very vivid reflections which cover its sur- 
face are only disturbed by the dabbling of wild 
fowl, or the ripple that follows the track of the 
distant boat. At one glance we have before us 
the whole of the local pictures described in Lalla 
Rookh. 

“ The margin of the lake, which from its northern 
to its southern extremity is nearly five miles in 
length, by about two and a half in width, is flat, 
verdant and open, usually edged with willows, 
poplars, and other trees, numerous only at intervals, 
so that the eye is immediately attracted by the 
thicker masses of foliage which form the gardens 
of Nasim and Nishat, and the far-famed Shalimar. 
Among them sparkles the white pavilion on the 
isle of Chunars, or Silver Island, and another green 
spot is the Golden Island. The large platform of 
a ruined building is seen on the southern shore, 
and on the northern are the terraces of two other 
gardens, neglected and in ruins. Numerous vil- 
lages on the edge of the water, surrounded with 
walnuts and chunars, are taken into the view ; a 
green causeway which extends across it is an 
object of attraction ; but we look on the famed 
floating gardens of Cashmere without being able to 
distinguish them from the green and richly culti- 
vated grounds upon that edge of the water which 
borders the city. 

“ A precipitous but verdant range of about 2,000 
feet in height, circles around the lake to the 
northward, commencing its rise at about a mile 
from the shores, until it has surrounded that 


SRINAGUR, THE CAPITAL OF CASHMERE. 6$ 


portion of the circumference which extenos be- 
tween the Throne of Solomon and the Shalimar. 
There it ceases, and a part of the great range 
which surrounds the Vale of Cashmere lifts its 
snowy peaks near at hand. 

“ It must be remembered that we are upon an 
elevation in the centre of one of the sides of the 
valley ; that it is ninety miles in length, with a 
varying breadth, and that it is surrounded on every 
side by a towering wall of mountains, the summits 
of a great proportion of which are usually covered 
with snow. Terraces, cornfields, rice-grounds, 
meadows and morasses occupy the centre of the 
valley ; they are all brightly tinted in the fore- 
ground, but in the distance recede into one uniform 
blue. Several isolated hills and innumerable 
villages are scattered over the landscape. The 
line of beauty was never more faithfully drawn in 
landscape than by the broad and beautiful Jelum, 
the fabulosus Hydaspes of the Augustan age. 

“ The river passes within half a mile of the foot 
of Solomon’s Throne, and is nearly two hundred 
and fifty yards in breadth, before it enters the city. 
Its banks are fringed with willows, among which 
is a summer-house, with a white cupola, built by 
the Sikh governor. An avenue of poplars, nearly 
a mile in length, runs through the cornfields 
parallel to it, from the foot of the Throne to the 
Amir’s bridge, close to which is the city fort, or 
residence of the governor, at the entrance of the 
city, where the stream narrows to about eighty 
yards. Beyond the bridge wc trace it to the 


86 


VENTRAL ASIA. 


north-west, by occasional glimpses, nearly as far 
as the Great Lake, which is twenty miles distant. 
The hoary range of the Panjal, in front, is joined 
with the mountains of Kishtawar on the south, 
and on the north-west is continued into the still 
loftier snow-peaks of Durawar, on the left bank of 
the Indus, so as to form but one vast mural cordil- 
lera, and a fitting boundary for the noblest valley 
in the world. 

“ Descending from the Throne of Solomon, we 
immediately pass over the bridge of the Drogjun, 
under which runs the canal that connects the lake 
with the Jelum river ; it is called by the people, 
the ‘ Apple-tree Canal.’ When the surface of the 
lake, as is usually the case, is higher than that of 
the river, the floodgates remain open, and when 
the river becomes full they close of themselves, so 
as to prevent the lake from being overflowed, and 
its waters from spreading themselves over the 
adjacent country. The canal is exceedingly 
pretty ; the water is very clear, and numerous 
fish play among the long reeds that wave upon its 
edges. One of the governors had it in contem- 
plation to unite the trees on either bank, by a kind 
of suspended trellis-work, and then to have planted 
vines, whose fruit and branches would have been 
thus supported over the midst of the stream. 

“The Hindoo ruins in the city are composed 
chiefly, if not entirely, of large rectangular blocks 
of limestone, similar to those at Martund and 
other places. The largest consists of two plat- 
forms raised one above another, one of twenty 


SRINAGUK, THE CAPITAL OF CASHMERE. 87 

yards square, resting on another of forty-four by 
sixty-eight yards. The height of this enormous 
mass of stone work, which no doubt once sup- 
ported a temple of proportionate size, is now about 
twenty-four feet. The Hindoo temples must have 
been exceedingly numerous ; the foundation of the 
houses in the city, closing the side of the river, 
are often formed of large blocks v/hich have been 
drawn from them. A capital turned upside down, 
a broken shaft or an injured pedestal, may fre- 
quently be observed imbedded in the wall, per- 
forming the office of ordinary building stone. The 
river, in passing through the city, has thus been 
narrowed to a width of about eighty yards ; an 
immovable barrier is opposed to its expansion, 
and its stream is consequently more rapid and 
deeper than in any other part of the valley. 

“ Noor Jehan (the light of the world), the 
‘ Nourmahal ’ (light of the palace) of Lalla 
Rookh, is the most renowned name in the valley, 
that of her august consort, Jehangir, not excepted. 
In spite of the more authentic story of her birth, 
the Cashmerians would have us believe that she 
was a native of the valley. The new mosque in 
the city was built by her, and is, in fact, the only 
edifice of the kind that can vie in general aspect 
and finish with the splendor of the pearl mosque, 
at Agra. The interior of the building is about 
sixty-four yards in length, and of proportionate 
breadth, the roof being supported by two rows of 
massive square piers, running through the entire 
length of the building, the circular compartments 


88 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


between them being handsomely ribbed and 
vaulted. When I was in Cashmere, it was used as 
a granary or storehouse for rice. 

“ The mosque of Shah Hamadan occupies a con- 
spicuous situation on the bank of the river, in the 
midst of the city. His story, as believed by the 
Mussulmans, is as follows : — Tamerlane was one 
night wandering in disguise about the streets of 
his capital (Samarkand), and overheard an old 
man and his wife talking over their prospects of 
starvation ; upon which he took off an armlet, 
threw it to them, and departed unseen. A pre- 
tended Syud, or descendant of the prophet, asked 
them how they came by the armlet, and accused 
them of having stolen it. The matter was made 
known to Tamerlane, who very sagaciously de- 
creed that the owner must be the person who 
could produce the fellow armlet. He then dis- 
played it in his own possession, and ordered the 
accuser to undergo the ordeal of hot iron, which 
he refused, and was put to death in consequence. 
Tamerlane, moreover, put to death all the other 
pretended Syuds in the country. One named Shah 
Hamadan, who really was a descendant of the 
prophet, accused Tamerlane of impiety, told him 
that he would not remain in his country, and by 
virtue of his sanctity was able to transport himself 
through the air to Cashmere. He descended 
where the mosque now stands, and told the 
Hindoo fakeer, who had possession of the spot, to 
depart. The latter refused, whereupon Shah 
Hamadan said that if he would bring him news 


Sh‘/yAGUi<, THE CATITAL OF CASHMERE. ^9 

from heaven he would then believe in him. The 
fakeer, who had the care of numerous idols, im- 
mediately dispatched one of them towards heaven, 
upon which Shah Hamadan kicked his slipper after 
it with such force that the idol fell to the ground. 
He then asked the fakeer how he became so great 
a man. The latter replied, by doing charitable 
actions, and thereupon Shah Hamadan thought 
him worthy of being made a convert to Islam. 

“ The Mar canal is, perhaps, the most curious 
place in the city : it leaves the small lake at the 
north-east corner, and boats pass along, as at 
Venice. Its narrowness, for it does not exceed 
thirty feet in width, its walls of massive stone, its 
heavy single-arch bridges and landing-places of 
the same material, the gloomy passages leading 
down upon it, betoken the greatest antiquity ; 
while the lofty and many-storied houses that rise 
directly from the water, supported only by thin 
trunks of deodar, seem ready to fall down upon 
the boat with every gust of wind. It could not 
but remind me of the old canals in Venice, and 
although far inferior in architectural beauty, is, 
perhaps, of equal singularity. 

“ In a division of the lake called Kutawal, the 
far-famed floating gardens of Cashmere are an- 
chored, or rather pinned to the ground by means 
o'" a stake. These, however, are very ?/«-Lalla 
Rookish in appearance, not being distinguishable 
from beds of reeds and rushes. Their construction 
is extremely simple, and they are made long and 
narrow, that they may be the more easily taken in 


90 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


tow. A floating garden ten yards long by two or 
three in width, may be purchased for a rupee (50 
cents). Mr. Moorcroft has well described the 
manner in which these gardens are made. The 
weeds at the bottom, cut by means of a scythe, 
rise and float on the surface ; these are matted to- 
gether, secured, and strewed with soil and manure ; 
a protecting fence of rushes is allowed to spring 
up around them, — and upon this platform a num- 
ber of conical mounds or heaps of weeds are con- 
structed, about two feet in height. On the tops 
of these is placed some soil from the bottom of 
the lake ; the melon and cucumber plants are set 
upon it, and no further care is necessary. 

“ What has been poetically termed the feast of 
roses has of late years been rather the feast of 
singaras, or water-nuts. It is held, I believe, about 
the 1st of May, when plum-trees and roses are in 
full bloom, and is called the Shakufeh, from the 
Persian shakufan, to blow or blossom. The richer 
classes come in boats to the foot of Solomon’s 
Throne, ascend it, and have a feast upon the sum- 
mit, eating more particularly of the water-nuts. 

“The average depth of the lake is not more 
than seven to ten feet, and the water being very 
clear, the bottom, covered with weeds, is almost 
constantly visible. At the northern corner are 
the ruins of a once splendid pleasure-ground, whose 
walled terraces, rising one above the other, might 
easily be converted into a botanical garden, for 
which its extent and aspect seems admirably cal- 
culated. 


SRINAGUR, THE CAPITAL OF CA JIMERE. 9 1 


“ The Shalimar stands on the eastern margin of 
the lake. It is a building placed at the upper end 
of a walled garden seven or eight hundred yards 
in length, by 280 in width. It is of polished black 
marble, consisting of a central passage and two 
rooms on either side. The building is 24 yards 
square, and the north and south sides are orna- 
mented with Saracenic reliefs. It stands in the 
centre of a square reservoir, which is also lined 
with black marble : the sides thereof are 54 yards 
long, and the whole enclosure contains 147 foun- 
tains, which are made to play on holidays, the 
reservoir being filled by the stream which enters 
it in the shape of a cascade. The stream then de- 
scends from the reservoir by a shallow canal, cut 
through the centre of the gardens and lined with 
marble, and falls over an artificial cascade at each 
of the three lodges through which it passes on its 
way to the lake. A broad causeway or walk runs 
on each side of it, overshadowed by large plane 
trees, while here and there a few turfed walks 
branch off at right angles into the shrubberries, 
in which are little else than wild plum-trees, 
planted for the sake of their white blossoms. The 
principal lodges are plain but elegantly-fronted 
Saracenic houses, which were evidently intended 
for the accommodation of the officers and servants 
of the Emperor Jehangir. Many plane-trees are 
planted around, and with their shade, combined 
with the freshness produced by the fountains, the 
air is as cool as could be wished, even in the hot- 
test day. 


92 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ The lotus, with its noble pink and white flower, 
is very common, and in fact, the leaves are so 
numerous that in some places they form a verdant 
carpet, over which the water-hens and others of 
the same genus run securely without risk of being 
immersed. In the hot weather, the children in the 
boats pick a large leaf and place it on their heads, 
as a shelter from the rays of the sun, or, by break- 
ing off the stalk close to the leaf, obtain a tube 
through which they drink of the water poured" in 
from above. The stalks are very commonly eaten 
by the poorer classes : when dry, the seeds are 
strung together like beads. 

“ Five kinds of paper, the best of which is supe- 
rior to that made in the plains, is manufactured in 
Cashmere. The dipping-frame is made of a kind ot 
reed, which is found near the Shalimar ; it grows 
to about a yard in height, and is of the thickness 
of a common bell wire. Every sheet of each kind 
is smeared with rice-paste by the hand, encased 
in goats’-hair, and afterwards spread upon a board 
of wild pear-tree wood, and polished with a piece 
of agate. The rose-water of Cashmere is surpass- 
ingly fine, but there is nothing extraordinary in 
the way it is made. The attar is procured from 
trebly-distilled rose water, which is boiled and 
poured into an open basin over night. While the 
rose water is still hot, the basin is placed two-thirds 
deep in a running stream, and in the morning the 
attar appears like an oil on the surface of the 
water, and is carefully scraped off with a blade of 
grass bent in the shape of a V. It is said that a 


SRINAGUR, THE CAPITAL OF CASHMERE. 93 

small bottle of attar is the produce of seven or 
eight hundred pounds of rose leaves. 

“ The Cashmerians are very expert as manu- 
facturers of wooden toys, turnery, ornamental carv- 
ing in wood, inlaid work of different woods, ivory 
and mother-of-pearl ; and the painting on the 
pen-cases and work-boxes is alike curious and 
elegant in pattern. They have no oil colors, but 
flowers and other ornaments are sometimes raised 
on the surface by means of a composition paste, 
then painted and oiled two or three times, until 
they have the appearance of being varnished. 

“There are now but five or six hundred shawl- 
frames in the city. Formerly they were infinitely 
more numerous. It occupies six or seven frames, 
of two men at each for six months, to make a pair 
of very large and handsome shawls. Runjeet Sing 
ordered a pair to be made, with patterns repre- 
senting his victories, and paid down 5,000 rupees, 
after deducting the duties. Only one of these was 
finished. The poshni, or shawl wool is found upon 
the goats which are pastured upon the elevated 
plains of Ladak, or little Tibet. It is undoubtedly 
a provision of nature against the intense cold to 
which they are exposed, as it is found not only 
on the common goat, but also on the yak and the 
shepherd’s dog. Its color is a dark, dull, brown- 
ish maroon. The poshm is a cotton-like down, 
which grows close to the skin, under the usual 
coating of hair. The shawl-goat has produced 
poshm in England, but I believe that the quantity 
will diminish with each succeeding generation, as 


?4 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the climate is not cold enough to demand such a 
defence from nature. 

“ The Cashmerian merchants purchase the wool 
in Leh, at the rate of eighty small handfuls for a 
small rupee (35 cents). It is then cleaned on the 
spot, and only one part in four is fit for the pur- 
poses of the w^’eaver. When it arrives in Cashmere 
the governor takes possession of it, and sells it 
again to the merchants, at 20 per cent, profit on 
their whole expenses, he keeping the difference for 
himself. The white poshm may then be purcha.sed 
in the city at about four small rupees ($1.40) for 
two pounds. The thread is then dyed of different 
colors, and of these they use about forty different 
kinds. Their blues and purples are made chiefly 
from indigo ; their yellows from an Indian flower 
and a kind of native grass ; their blacks from iron 
filings and wild pomegranate skins, from which 
also a light brown is obtained ; their reds from 
logwood and a native wood ; a drab from walnut 
hulls ; and it will scarely be believed that the 
finest of their greens, and a light blue also, are 
extracted from English green baize. 

“All the thread used in making a large pair of 
shawls does not weigh more than 15 or 20 pounds, 
and may be purchased for 120 to 150 small rupees 
($40 to $50). After the thread is dyed, it is dip- 
ped in rice-water, a process which makes it 
stronger, and fits it to be more safely moved by 
the shuttle, and the stiffness is removed by wash- 
ing. The undyed shawl stuff, which sells at five 
rupees the yard, is called nbra, from nbr, a cloud. 


SRINAGUR, THE CAPITAL OF CASHMEVE. 95 

When made with colored stripes or flowers on it, 
the long under-coats of the Persians are made from 
this stuff. If the pattern be worked with the 
needle, the shawl is far inferior in every respect to 
those in which the pattern is woven in. 

“As soon as a shawl is made, notice is given to 
the inspector, and none can be cut from the loom 
but in his presence. It is then taken to the cus- 
tom-house and stamped, a price is put upon it by 
the proper officer, and 23 per cent, on the price is 
demanded. When it is purchased, and about to 
leave the valley with its owner, the latter has to 
pay another four rupees for permit duty, and 
another seal, whieh enables him to pass with his 
property ; but he is afterwards subjected to further 
duties. It is necessary to wash the shawls, in 
order to deprive them of the stiffness of the rice- 
starch remaining in the thread, and for the purpose 
of softening them generally. The best water for 
this use is found in the apple-tree canal, between 
the lake and the flood-gates. After being wet and 
stamped upon by naked feet for five minutes, the 
shawl is taken into the canal by a man stand- 
ing in the water : one end is gathered up in his 
hand, and the shawl swung round and beaten with 
great force on a flat stone, being dipped into the 
canal between every three or four strokes. This 
occupies about five minutes. They are then dried 
in the shade, as the hot sun spoils the colors. 

“ Old shawls that require cleaning, and in some 
instances new ones, are washed by means of the 
freshly-gathered root of a parasitical plant, called 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


96 


kritz. A pound of it is bruised and mixed with 
three pints of water, and to this is added a quantity 
of pigeon’s dung, mixed and beaten up with about 
the same amount of water. The shawl is then 
saturated with the liquor, stamped upon, washed 
with the hand, and then well steeped in the canal. 
The colors of a shawl, after it has been washed, 
are often renewed so well as to deceive any but 
the initiated, by pricking them in again with a 
wooden pin, dipped in the requisite tints. 

“ The broker, who transacts business' between 
the shawl manufacturer and the merchant, is a 
person of great importance in the city, and the 
manner in which their transactions are carried on 
is rather singular. They have correspondents in 
most of the larger cities of Hindostan, whose busi- 
ness it is to collect and forward every species of 
information connected with their trade. By their 
means they seldom fail to hear of any merchant 
who is about to start for Cashmere, even from such 
a distance as Calcutta, and, if he be a rich man, 
the broker will send as far as Delhi to meet him, 
and invite him to become his guest during his 
sojourn in the valley. Perhaps, again, when the 
merchant, half dead with fatigue and cold, stands 
at length on the snowy summit of the Panjal, or 
either of the other mountain passes, he is suddenly 
amazed by finding there a servant of the broker, 
who has kindled a fire ready for his reception, 
hands him a hot cup of tea, a dish of food, a deli- 
cious pipe and a note containing a fresh and still 
more pressing invitation from his master. Such 


SRINAGUK, THE CAEITAL OF CASHMERE. 97 


well-timed civility is irresistible : his heart and 
boots thaw together, and he at once accepts the 
hospitality of the broker, who it may be is await- 
ing the traveller, with a friendly hug, at the bottom 
of the pass, two or three days’ journey from the 
city, to which he obsequiously conducts him. He 
finds himself at home, at the house of his new 
friend, and himself and servants studiously pro- 
vided with all they can require. His host, of 
course, takes care to repay himself in the end. He 
has an understanding with the shawl manufacturers 
who frequent his house, so that the guest is at the 
mercy of both parties, and should he quarrel with 
the broker, hoping to make a purchase without his 
intervention, he would find it impossible. 

“ No shawl-vender can by any possibility be 
induced to display his stores until the approach of 
evening, being well aware of the superior brilliancy 
imparted to their tints by the slanting rays of the 
setting sun ; and when the young merchant has 
purchased knowledge by experience, he will ob- 
serve that the shawl is never exhibited by one per- 
son only ; that the broker, apparently inattentive, 
is usually sitting near, and that under pretence of 
bringing the different beauties of the shawl under 
his more special notice, a constant and freemasonic 
fire of squeezes and pinches, having reference to 
the price to be asked, and graduated from one to five 
hundred rupees, is secretly kept up between the 
venders, by means of their hands extended under 
the shawl. When the merchant has completed his 
purchases, the broker, who was before so eager to 


98 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


obtain him as a guest, pays him the compliment ol 
seeing him safe to the outside of the city, where he 
takes leave of him at the last houses, leaving him 
to find his way, as best he may, alone over the 
mountains. 

“ Srinagur, the capital, has a population of about 
80,000 souls. The Cashmerian peasants differ but 
little from the inhabitants of the city, but the lat- 
ter are more civilized and perhaps better looking. 
There are Mussulmans and Hindoos, the former 
predominating in the proportion of three to one in 
the city, and nine to one in the villages. The 
comple.xion of the Mussulman Cashmerian is gen- 
erally not so dark, certainly not darker, than that 
of the natives of the south of Europe, the Neapoli- 
tans for instance, to whom they may also be com- 
pared on account of the liveliness and humor of 
their disposition ; but their features are large and 
aquiline, like those of the Affghans, and I do not 
know that I can better describe them than by 
calling them subdued Jewish ; while a Hindoo may 
often be distinguished by the fairness of his com- 
plexion. I was also told that this was attributable 
to their eating a less quantity of animal food than 
the Mussulmans. I have heard that the natives of 
the valley ascribe their own beauty to the great 
softness of the water. I have remarked that the 
water softens a shawl better than any other ; and 
there is undoubtedly a peculiar softness in the air 
of the valley. It is remarked that the horns of 
cattle, sheep and goats never attain there to any 
great size, and, in fact, are rather small than other- 










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SRINAGUR, THE CAPITAL OF CASHMERE. 99 

wise. Neither has the tobacco of Cashmere the 
pungency of that grown elsewhere. 

“ Many of the women are handsome enough to 
induce a man to exclaim, as did the Assyrian sol- 
diers, when they beheld the beauty of Judith, — 

‘ Who would despise this people, that have among 
them such women } ’ Their dress is a red gown, 
with large loose sleeves, and red fillet on the fore- 
head, over which is thrown a white mantilla. The 
hair is braided in separate plaits, then gathered 
together, and a long tassel of black cotton is sus- 
pended from it almost to the ankles. 

“ In Cashmere there is no concealment of the 
features, except among the higher classes. I do 
not think that the beauty of the women has been 
overrated. They have not that slim and graceful 
shape which is so common in Hindostan, but are 
more usually gifted with a style of figure which 
would entitle them to the appellation of fine or 
handsome women in European society. They have 
the complexion of brunettes, with more pink on the 
cheeks, while that of the Hindoo women has often 
too much of the pink and white in it. Whatever 
the other features may be, they have usually a pair 
of large, almond-shaped hazel eyes, and a white 
and regular set of teeth. The inhabitants of the 
boats, male and female, are perhaps the handsom- 
est people in the valley.” 


CHAPTER VII. 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO AND THE UPPER INDUS. 

T) EFORE leaving the Punjab for Cashmere, Mr. 

Vigne received information which led him to 
believe that he might succe-ed in reaching Iskardo, 
on the Upper Indus, the capital of Baltistan 
(sometimes also called Little Tibet), which had 
never been visited by a European. Ahmed Shah, 
the Rajah of the country, had expressed a desire 
to see some Englishman at his court, no doubt in 
the hope of securing some influence which might 
be of service to him in the then unsettled state of 
the country. 

Mr. Vigne had been but a short time in the Vale 
of Cashmere, when he found that it would be 
necessary to carry out his plan during the brief 
summer of the higher ranges. The Sikh governor 
at first refused to allow him to proceed further, 
without permission from Runjeet Sing, at Lahore ; 
but this was easily obtained. The officials, never- 
theless, endeavored to create obstacles of another 
kind. “ The Kazi (Judge) of Cashmere,” says Mr. 
Vigne, “confessed afterwards that they had tried 
to bribe and intimidate my servants, and I myself 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


lOI 


was present when the Sikh captain commanding 
my guard was terrifying them by solemnly assur- 
ing them there were Jews at Ladak, whose favorite 
food, amongst other horrors, was human flesh. 

“ But all the offers and assertions of the Sikhs 
were of no avail against the counter-statement of 
the faithful emissaries of Ahmed Shah (of Iskardo), 
who I have no doubt promised them both protec- 
tion and emolument ; and when I told them the 
contents of Runjeet’s letter, they only stipulated 
for double wages during the time they were absent 
from the valley, — which of course I instantly 
agreed to give them. All necessary preparations 
were made without loss of time, and the next day 
I was rapidly floating down the broad and bur- 
nished expanse of the Jelum, and following its 
windings on my way to Bundurpore on the Wulur 
lake, where commences the path over the moun- 
tains to Little Tibet. 

“ The night was spent at the foot of the pass. 
When all was ready for a start in the morning, I 
was informed that a messenger from Ahmed Shah, 
of Iskardo, had arrived, and wished to speak tome. 
His name was Nasim Khan : he was a singular- 
looking person, thin and pale-faced, dressed in a 
black velvet frock, with silver buttons, and wearing 
a black leathern belt, profusely ornamented with 
little knobs of the same metal. He approached 
me bareheaded, with the look and manner of a 
captive brigand, his small, keen, dark eye glancing 
suspiciously on my Sikh guards ; then, after making 
a most respectful salaam, he stated that his master 


102 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


had sent him to welcome and attend upon me ; 
that he had also brought with him a good pony, 
who would carry me in safety to Iskardo ; and 
finally, after handing me a letter of invitation from 
Ahmed Shah, he drew back and remained station- 
ary, with an aspect and in an attitude that be- 
tokened the most profound submission. 

“ When we had commenced the ascent, and his 
fears and suspicions were over, his tongue was 
rarely at rest, and I listened with avidity and 
delight to the recital of his own adventures, his 
stories of Great and Little Tibet, and the countries 
on the north of us, including Yarkand and its 
Chinese masters : — how they were always at war 
with the people of Khokand ; how they had 
labored for months to cut through a glacier, in 
order to form a passage for their army ; how the 
general of the Kokokandees had loaded several 
wagons with the pig-tails of the Chinese soldiers, 
slain in action ; and how, in return, his celestial 
majesty had sent back the same number of wagons 
laden with millet-seed, by way of intimating the 
countless numbers of his troops ; — how a Chinese 
general, to prove his powers of ubiquity, would 
start off his whole army in carriages over night, to 
a distant post, the vehicles being sometimes drawn 
across the country by paper kites ; how the walls 
of one of their strongholds were of loadstone, and 
the advancing forces were aghast, when their side- 
arms flew from their scabbards, and their match- 
locks struggled in their hands ! 

“ It took half a day to reach the halting-station. 


yOURh^EY TO ISK'ARDO. 


103 


a small open lawn surrounded by a pine forest. 
Here we slept on the ground without pitching 
tents, in order to be ready to ascend to the summit, 
and cross the snow before sunrise, while it was yet 
hard with the night’s frost. The table-land in 
summer-time is covered with a fine greensward, 
and at the distance of a mile and a half rises a 
small eminence on the left, towards which, on our 
approach, Nasim Khan suddenly started off in a 
gallop, calling on me to follow, and loudly ex- 
claiming that he would show me a view worth a 
lack of rupees. I quickly followed him, and the 
stupendous peak of Diarmul, more than forty miles 
distant in a straight line, but appearing to be 
much nearer, burst upon my sight, rising far above 
every other around it, and entirely cased in snow, 
excepting where its scarps were too precipitous 
for snow to remain upon them. It was partially 
encircled by a broad belt of cloud, and its finely- 
pointed summit, glistening in the full blaze of the 
morning sun, relieved by the clear blue sky beyond 
it, presented, on account of its isolated situation, 
an appearance of extreme altitude, equalled by 
few of the Himalaya range, though their actual 
height be greater. 

“ This peak is called Diarmul by the Tibetans, 
and Nunga Purbut, or the naked mountain, by the 
Cashmerians. I should estimate its elevation at 
nearly 19,000 feet above the sea.* The pass on 


* Its actual height has since been ascertained, by measurement, to 
be 26,679 feet, thus ranking sixth among the mountains of the world 


104 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


which we stood has a height of I2,oco feet ; on 
the south we saw two-thirds of the Vale of Cash- 
mere, with the snowy range of the Panjal, behind it, 

“ On the north side, the valley of Gurys is sud- 
denly exposed to view, at a depth of about 3000 
feet below the pass. The entrance into this valley 
is exceedingly picturesque, as the river comes 
dashing along through a rich meadow, partly 
covered with linden, walnut and willow trees, 
while the mountains on either side present nothing 
but a succession of abrupt precipices, and Alpine 
ledges, covered with fir-trees. I was new about 
to enter the territories of Little Tibet, and for 
some days to bid adieu to human habitation, saving 
the little village of Zean, seven miles distant, and 
was provided accordingly with an extra number 
of coolies, so that my party now consisted of forty- 
five people. The officer in charge of the fort in 
Gurys was also in attendance upon me, and at- 
tracted my attention by being the only person whom 
I met throughout the East, who tacked on the word 
' khurbdn' at the end of any answer he made to 
me. His meaning was simply one of submission, 
‘ I am your victim, or sacrifice.’ I need scarcely 
remark that the same word is used in the Scrip- 
tures, although the application is different. 

“ The Kishengunga river contains a great many 
fish, and some of my coolies, as we approached a 
particular spot where there was a little smooth 
water and quiet lying for them in a nook, apart 
from the violence of the torrent, took off their 
sashes, fastened them together, and then let them 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


105 


drop like a net into the water, while another so 
placed himself as to drive the fish gently towards 
and over them : they then lifted the cloth and 
caught at one haul at least one hundred fish, of 
about half or quarter of a pound each. Some of 
them were cooked for dinner, but I abstained from 
eating the roes, as I was cautioned not to do so, 
as they are considered poisonous. One of my 
servants, a Hindoo, who disregarded the warning, 
became so alarmingly ill that for a time I thought 
he would have died. 

“ The way now led aloft upon a table-land 
called Burzil, or the Birches, where the limestone 
of the valleys gives way to a granite formation. 
These regions present as wild and gray a scene as 
any painter could wish for, made up of a confusion 
of snowy summits, and hoary precipices, broadly 
relieved in one place by the deep rust color of the 
ironstone rock ; the chaotic masses with which 
the whole valley was thickly covered ; the streams 
of the infant Kishengunga dashing over and 
amongst them, with the milk-white and delicate 
stems of the birch trees, in full leaf, trembling 
amidst their descending violence. 

“ As we were approaching Burzil we met a 
Little-Tibetan, who had been sent on some errand 
by Ahmed Shah, and from whom my servants 
learned that there were robbers in the vicinity, 
and that Ahmed Shah himself was near at hand, 
with a large force, for the purpose of destroying 
them on the following day. Towards nightfall, 
while sitting by a fire near my tent-door, another 


ro6 CENTRAL ASIA. 

Balti native showed himself for an instant, on the 
crest of the rocky eminence below which we were 
encamped, and then hastened away with the in- 
telligence of my arrival. In about an hour after- 
wards, the loud, distant and discordant blasts of 
the Tibetan music were heard echoing along the 
glen : the sound grew louder and louder, and we 
were all on the tiptoe of expectation. At length 
the band, which was the foremost of the proces- 
sion, made its appearance above us, consisting of 
fifes, clarionets, and five or six huge brazen 
trumpets, about six feet in length, shaped like the 
classic instruments which are usually put to the 
mouth of Fame. After these came a group of 
thirty or forty soldiers, the wildest-looking figures 
imaginable, wearing large loosely-tied turbans, 
and armed with match-locks, swords and shields. 
After them came one of Ahmed Shah’s sons, pre- 
ceded by a few small red horses, and surrounded 
by more soldiers. Ahmed Ali Khan, for so the 
young prince was named, had been sent by his 
father to welcome me and give me honorable 
escort. He was a young man, of short and slender 
make, walking with a lame and somewhat awkward 
gait, in consequence of his having broken both his 
legs by a fall, when he was a child. They were 
cured, by-the-bye, by his swallowing pills of 
rock asphaltum, and living upon milk at the same 
time. His handsome features and fine expanse of 
forehead derived a somewhat effeminate expression 
from his back hair (the front of the head was 
shaved) being gathered into two large massive 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


107 


curls, hanging down one behind each ear. All the 
young men of Little Tibet follow this fashion, and 
leave the mustaches, but shave the beard until it 
begins to grow strongly. The long curls are then 
doffed or neglected, and the beard is allowed to 
luxuriate. 

“ The young Khan, after a little pressing, con- 
sented to sit where he had never sat before — on a 
chair, — and then gave me a very friendly welcome 
in the name of his father, the Rajah, or Gylfo, or, 
as he generally termed him, his Kiblah-Ghah, 
which is, I suppose, equivalent to calling him not 
only his father, but his ‘Father in God.’ After 
making the usual inquiries after my health, and 
answering several questions on different subjects, 
which I put to him by means of my interpreter, he 
assured me that the story about the robbers was 
perfectly true — that seventy or eighty of them had 
come through the mountains from the district of 
Kholi-Palus on the Indus, about eight or ten 
days’ march below Iskardo, — that they had been 
pillaging a village in his father’s territories, and 
were driving away with them the inhabitants and 
their cattle also ; and that his father had come in 
person, with a strong force, for the purpose of 
cutting them off at the head of a defile, through 
which they were expected to debouch. 

“ Accordingly, at an early hour the next morn- 
ing, we all moved forward towards the place of the 
ambuscade. The whole country was, on account 
of its elevation, quite free from trees, but the 
ground was blind, rocky, and covered with coarse 


io8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


herbage, nearly up to the summit of the moun- 
tains, among which our path lay. After a few 
miles we came in sight of the Rajah’s tent, on the 
opposite side of the mouth of the defile through 
which the marauders were expected to arrive, and 
near it were several hundred men, visible to us, 
but concealed from their approaching victims by 
a small eminence. The young Khan ordered a 
halt within one mile and a half of his father’s tent, 
and we sat down for half an hour, quietly awaiting 
the preconcerted signal. He said that he had 
particular orders from his father to give me escort 
and protection ; and when I expressed a wish to 
proceed to the side of a hill opposite to the end of 
the defile, where I could without any danger to 
myself have seen the whole cortege of the robbers 
moving unconsciously along into the very jaws of 
the ambuscade, he said that I must not go, as they 
would probably see me, and all his father’s plans 
would be spoiled. 

“ From the spot where we remained I could 
distinguish several parties lying in ambush in dif- 
ferent parts of the mountains, but all was as silent 
as the place was desolate, although so many hu- 
man beings were in sight. Suddenly, and I shall 
never forget the excitement of a scene so new and 
so savage, the band advanced rapidly into the 
open part of the defile, striking up one of its most 
wildest and loudest strains, and the mountains 
echoed again with the clangor of their huge trum- 
pets, and the laugh-like cheers of the Baltis, as 
every man left his place of concealment and sprang 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. I09 

forward upon the astonished marauders. Our 
party were instantly mounted, and we pushed for- 
ward to the top of the hill in advance of us ; but 
the work had been speedily finished, and was nearly 
over when we arrived. The bodies of five or six 
men who had attempted to escape towards us 
were lying on our right. They had been inter- 
cepted and killed, and stripped in an instant. At 
a short distance lay a wounded wretch, who had 
raised himself on his hand, and by his side was an 
old Tibetan soldier, coolly loading his matchlock, 
from which he gave him the coup -de- grace. 
Around another was a circle of the victors, from 
which one more ferocious than the rest would now 
and then step forward, to inflict a fresh wound with 
his sword. Others were busied in stripping the 
slain, and securing part of the spoil to themselves. 
Among the latter were my brave Cashmerian 
coolies, who, watching their opportunity, aban- 
doned their loads in the melee, and contrived to 
seize upon several sheep, which they killed and 
buried, on the same principle that a dog buries a 
bone, to be dug up on their return. 

“While I was surveying the extraordinary scene 
around me, my attention was attracted by a large 
crowd, and I was told that the Rajah was ap- 
proaching. He and all around him dismounted as 
he drew near to me, and I, of course, followed the 
example. Of two who were taller than the rest I 
did not immediately know which was Ahmed Shah, 
but I afterwards found that the second was his 
brother, Gholam Shah. Ahmed Shah approached 


no 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


me bareheaded, and when near he frequently stop- 
ped and salaamed by bowing low, and touching 
the ground with the back of his hand, and then 
carrying it to his forehead. I advanced quickly, 
took his hand, and shook it d V Anglais, bidding 
my interpreter inform him that it was the English 
custom to do so, with which piece of information 
he seemed much pleased. We then all sat down 
upon some tent rugs which had been brought for 
the occasion, and after mutual inquiries after each 
other’s health, I congratulated him on the success 
of the expedition. He replied that these very 
marauders had pillaged part of his country two or 
three times before, and that he had determined to 
come in person and destroy them ; that he had 
all his life prayed that he might set eyes upon a 
Frank before he died, and that now his wish was 
granted. 

“I must have appeared an odd figure to him, 
being dressed in a white duck shooting-jacket and 
a broad-brimmed white cotton hat. I had come, 
he remarked, from a long distance to visit him, 
and had arrived at a very fortunate hour : he said 
that he would do all he could to make me wel- 
come ; and added, that what with my arrival and 
his having killed the thieves, he was really so 
nappy that he knew not what to do. During this 
conversation the soldiers came in from different 
quarters, showing their wounds, some of them 
being very severe ones, and displaying the spoils, 
consisting of swords which the robbers had scarcely 
time to draw, and old matchlocks for which they 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


Ill 


had not been allowed the opportunity of striking 
a light. 

“ My friend, Nasim Khan, who had joined the 
ambuscades, came up without his cap, which he 
said he had lost in the conflict. Out of the whole 
number of the marauders, three or four only had 
contrived to make their escape ; the rest were 
killed, or so severely wounded as to be supposed 
dead. About one hundred men, women and chil- 
dren, and a very large flock of sheep, were rescued 
from their hands, and some of them came up to 
thank the Rajah for what he had done for them. 
Meanwhile an unfortunate wretch, who had been 
shamming dead, or who had recovered a little from 
the faintness caused by his wound, was suddenly 
discovered in the distance, sitting upright on the 
mountain-side. Some of the bystanders instantly 
volunteered to go and dispatch him. I looked at 
the Rajah, and I suppose he understood as I wished, 
that I meant to ask for mercy, for he ordered them 
to fetch him, but to spare his life. He was brought 
in afterwards, a stout-looking fellow, with a dark 
swarthy skin (for he was nearly stripped) and a 
shaven head. He had a severe gash on the neck 
and another on the arm. I suppose they had told 
him that I had interceded for him, as he caught 
my eye instantly, and his wounds did not prevent 
him from raising his hands to his mouth, and mak- 
ing a sign for water, — which was also given to 
him immediately at my request, and he was after- 
wards dismissed with his liberty, but died, so I 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


ri2 

was informed, while on his way to report the fate 
of his comrades. 

“ Ahmed Shah said he wished to remain en- 
camped where he was, for the night ; but added 
that he would move elsewhere if I disliked the 
smell of the wild leeks, which were very numerous; 
I made no objection, and my tent was pitched at 
a little distance from his own, and I retired to rest, 
feeling thankful for the protection I had received 
from a danger which, according to all calculation 
of time and circumstances, must, had I been alone 
with my party, have certainly crossed my path. 
The next morning I observed the Rajah and 
several others standing round what, upon ap- 
proaching, I found to be a heap of human heads, 
which had been collected and brought to him for 
inspection ; and after breakfast, while my tent was 
being struck, I repaired to his, where I found him 
shamming ill, in order to see whether I was a doc- 
tor or not. This was nothing more than I ex- 
pected, as Europeans are always supposed to 
possess, like Medea, the power of making gray 
hairs young again. I easily saw that there was 
nothing the matter with him ; but as he seemed 
determined then and there to have some medicine, 

I accommodated him with some Morrison’s pills. 
As he was soon very inquisitive on the subject o( 
English brandy, for which, although a Mussulman, 
he had a great liking, I gave him a bottle, which 
he told me was sent off under a guard to Iskardo ; 
and he afterwards, in great glee, told me how he had 
humbuggedhis brother-in-law, a rigid Mahometan, 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


II3 

v/ho upon inspecting a knife which I had given 
him, was most innocently anxious to know the use 
of the corkscrew. 

“ We soon afterwards started for Iskardo, and 
immediately commenced the ascent to the plains 
of Deotsuh. On the top were two small lakes, to 
the right and left of the path, but neither of them 
seemed to be very deep or clear. Couriers had been 
dispatched to Iskardo, with the news of the de- 
struction of the thieves, and by this time the party, 
by constant accessions, had been increased to 
seven or eight hundred person. The elevated 
table-land of Deotsuh is about 30 miles long, by 
half that distance in breadth. The average height 
above the sea must be about 12,000 feet. A more 
dreary and desolate-looking tract the sun cannot 
shine upon. Its formation is usually of granite and 
gneiss, of which lofty barren hills and peaks are 
seen shining in different parts of the plain ; and an 
horizon of mountain summits, among which that 
of Diarmul is sometimes conspicuous in the dis- 
tance, appears to hem it on every side. 

“ We wound in long array across the elevated 
plain. I was eager to arrive at Iskardo, and was 
always for moving forward, but the Rajah, whose 
yesterday’s victory was a great feat, seemed deter- 
mined to take it more coolly, and was perpetually 
calling for a fresh pipe, and stopping to enjoy it, — 
I, of course, being obliged, out of respect, to dis- 
mount and sit down with him. At length, after a 
march of sixteen miles, we arrived at our camp- 
ground, near a large but fordable stream. As 


CENTRAL AS/A. 


II4 

night drew near, the air became extremely cold, 
and my Hindoo servants were in a state of 
despair. A quantity of dead dwarf juniper roots 
was collected by the Tibetans, and a large and 
cheery fire was soon kindled, which added much to 
their comfort. I contented myself with partaking 
of their supper, and while my bed was preparing, 
was keeping myself warm by walking to and fro 
with my hands in my pockets, having previously, 
as I thought, taken leave of the Rajah for the 
night, when he suddenly joined me and exclaimed, 
‘ I’ll walk with you.’ Then sticking his hands into 
his sash, he forthwith began stalking up and down 
by my side, at a pace that his dignity had not often 
permitted before. 

“ The thermometer in my tent stood at forty- 
three degrees, and the ground, at seven in the 
morning, was covered with hoar-frost. Next 
morning the Rajah presented me with a pair of 
warm Tibetan stockings, and some moccasins 
made of the skin of the ibex. It is surprising how 
long a pair of them will wear, provided they do not 
get wet ; and on account of their roughness and 
pliability they are admirably adapted for walking 
over a steep and dangerous path. 

“ We proceeded on our march over the plain, 
and about mid-day Mohammed Ali Khan, a boy 
about twelve years old, the heir presumptive to 
the throne of Little Thibet, arrived from Iskardo, 
He had brought with him some small but very 
delicious melons, a most acceptable present, 
which, like all other orientals, they ate to the very 


J0UR.7EY TO ISKARDO. II 5 

rind. As we went on, the Rajah pointed to some 
mountains on the horizon, and said he hoped to 
pass over them before nightfall, because then we 
should be enabled to arrive at Iskardo on the 
morrow. Towards sunset we were at the foot of a 
steep ridge, and prepared for a further ascent of 
about 400 feet. 

“ The cortege commenced the ascent of the zig- 
zag ; the coolies toiled up the path, and were 
obliged to halt and take breath at every twenty 
paces ; then they advanced again, encouraging 
each other by loudly cheering, in a tone that 
might have been taken for the wild and discordant 
laughter of maniacs. I pressed forward with 
eagerness in advance of Ahmed Shah, riding as far 
as I could ; but finding I should attain the summit 
faster on foot, I left my horse with a groom, and 
soon stood at the upper edge of a glacis of snow, 
and thence — through i long sloping vista formed 
of barren peaks, of ; { vage shapes and various 
colors, in which the milky whiteness of the gypsum 
rock was contrasted with the deeply red tint of 
those that contained iron — I, the first European 
who had ever beheld them, gazed downwards 
from a height of six or seven thousand feet upon 
the sandy plains and green orchards of the valley 
of the Indus at Iskardo, with a sensation of mingled 
pride and pleasure, of which no one but a travfdler 
can form a just conception. The rock, of the same 
name, with the Rajah’s stronghold at the east end 
of it, was a very conspicuous object. The stream 
Crom the valley of Shighur, which joins the Indus 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


ii6 

at its foot, was visible from the spot where I stood, 
while to the north, and wherever the eye could 
rove, arose, with surpassinjj grandeur, a vast 
assemblage of the enormous summits that compose 
the Tibetan Himalaya. 

“ The cold and lateness of the hour made it 
necessary to descend from the ridge, and we con- 
tinued to move down a rugged and winding path 
till after nightfall, and then encamped under some 
juniper trees, about halfway down the defile. The 
next morning we passed through the gate of 
Burzeh, constructed by Ahmed Shah, and com- 
pletely commanding the entrance to the vale. 
The defile here narrows to a breadth of only 
twenty-five feet. Precipitous rocks of gneiss and 
slate ri-se from each side of it, and between them is 
a strong wall of wood and stone, which is loop- 
holed for musketry, and a hole about three feet 
high, sufficient for the passage of the stream. 
Through this hole crept the Rajah, myself, his two 
sons and three or four others, and he seemed de- 
lighted w'hen I remarked that a few men could 
defend it against an army. 

“ We did not reach the rock of Iskardo until the 
afternoon of the next day, and upon my arrival I 
found that a good house at its foot, in which some 
of the Rajah’s family usually resided, had been 
emptied for my reception. I followed the Rajah 
up the steps to the upper room, where one of his 
attendants immediately presented me with a plate 
of small, thin, fancifully stamped pieces of gold, 
made from the gold-dust collected on the banks ol 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


II7 

the Indus, and another plateful of similar silver 
pieces, which I showered down from the balcony 
upon the crowd below. After these were ex- 
hausted, we threw down several bits of cloth for 
turbans, etc., and all laughed heartily at the furious 
scrambling and vociferations which took place 
even before the articles fell. 

“The Indus was visible from my window, and I 
then turned to enjoy the view of it for the first 
time. It approached through a sandy plain, 
from the eastern end of the valley, and here, nine 
miles from the entrance, it washed the end of the 
rock within musket-shot of me, in a noble 
stream of more than 150 yards in width. The 
Rock is about two miles in length, and the 
peak over the east end rises some 800 feet above 
the river. The whole of this superb natural for- 
tress, situated in the middle of the valley ot 
Iskardo, which is nineteen miles long and seven 
wide, rises with mural sides from a buttress of sand, 
except at the western end, where it slopes steepl)’ 
to the plain. 

“ The valley of the Indus, at Iskardo, is about 
7,300 feet above the level of the sea. Enormous 
mountains, rising 8,000 feet or more above it, sur- 
round it on every side, bare, rugged and apparently 
inaccessible, with long, ascending defiles between 
them. The surface of the valley, but for the ver- 
dure supplied by partial irrigation, would be almost 
a sandy plain ; but water may be found anywhere 
I was informed, at the depth of ten yards. Al- 
most all the owners of land are sepoys, who are 


ii8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


bound by their tenure to perform any sort of ser- 
vice to which they may be called. The crops are of 
wheat, barley, turnips, a little rice, millet, buck- 
wheat and cockscombs. The melons of Iskardo 
are plentiful, small and green, but of delicious 
flavor. The grapes are pretty good, apples excel- 
lent, pears indifferent ; peaches and apricots are 
generally small. Good raisins are also made in 
the valley. 

“ I tasted a curious preparation called sgtirma, 
and where there was so little variety for the palate, 
I did not despise it as a sweetmeat. It is made by 
putting two pounds of ripe wheat into a hair bag, 
which is then to be laid in a running stream for 
five or six days, or until the sprout is about an inch 
in length. Care is to be taken that the grains do 
not adhere, and for that purpose it should be 
gently stirred once a day. The grains are then 
dried and broken by pounding, and four pints of 
water are added to one of the mashed grain. It 
should remain all day in the water, which is to be 
strained off in the evening. The liquor is then 
boiled in a stone saucepan, which is first greased 
inside with butter,: when boiling, a cupful of 
almond or apricot oil to about three quarts of the 
liquor, is to be poured in, and the whole stirred 
until it assumes the consistency of paste. I was 
surprised at the taste imparted by the sweet-wort, 
and could hardly believe that there was no sugar 
in the composition. 

“ The Rajah told me that the valley of Shighur 
is well worth visiting, and volunteered to accom- 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


II9 

pany me which proposal of course I did not 
refuse. We were ferried over the Indus, and 
afterwards marched across the sandy plain, parallel 
to the river, then turned to the left and w'ound 
among the bare and rocky hills which separate the 
valley of Shighur from that of Iskardo. The 
former valley lies nearly at right angles with the 
latter ; its length, by actual survey, is 24 miles, 
its greatest breadth between four and five. The 
Rajah and myself occupied three days in marching 
to the end of it. 

“ The complexions of the Little Tibetans are 
usually sallow, and their physiognomy shows an 
admixture of the Mongolian or Tartar, and the 
more noble features of the Indian or Persian races, 
which have originally met from the north and the 
south upon the banks of the Indus. But I noticed 
that their aspect was usually thin and care-worn, 
the result, no doubt, of the hard life and scanty 
fare of the mountaineer, the latter consisting 
chiefly of bread made from some of the grains 
already mentioned, and apricots dried in the sun, 
of which in the autumn, bushels may be seen upon 
every other roof. I do not think them long-lived, 
and Ahmed Shah seemed to think that eighty was 
an extraordinary age. They are certainly an 
interesting people. They appear to be contented, 
and fond of their native valleys, fearing nothing 
but tlie Sikhs and the small-pox, and are infinitely 
superior in a moral point of view, to the more 
sophisticated inhabitants of the Punjab and Affgha- 
nistan. 


120 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ The glory of the valley up which we travelled 
is the magnificent glacier at the end of it. Its 
lower extremity is a short distance from the vil- 
lage of Arindo, and the natives say that it is 
slowly but perceptibly advancing. It occupies the 
entire valley as far as the eye can reach ; and a 
place that looks more like the extremity of the 
world does not exist. Vast mountains, alike bare, 
precipitous and rugged, appear to form a channel 
for it, and in the extreme distance their sides are 
colored with the red and white tints of iron and gyp- 
sum. The width of the lofty wall of ice, in w'hich 
it terminates towards Arindo, is about a quarter of 
a mile ; its height is nearly lOO feet. I have never 
seen any spectacle of the same nature so truly 
grand as the debouchure of the waters from 
beneath this glacier. The ice is clear and green 
as an emerald, the archway lofty, gloomy and 
Avernus-like. The stream that emerges from it 
is no incipient brook, but a large and ready-formed 
river, whose color is that of the soil -which it has 
collected in its course, whose violence and velocity 
betoken a very long descent, and whose force is 
best explained by saying that it rolls along with it 
enormous masses of ice, which are whirled against 
the rocks in its bed with a concussion producing a 
sound resembling that of a distant cannon. 

“ Not far from the foot of the glacier is the open- 
ing of a defile, with a guard and watch-tower ; and 
on the summit of the defile is another glacier, over 
which, with two or three days’ scrambling, and 
being fastened together by ropes, there is a way to 


JOURNEY TO ISKARDO. 


I2I 


the valley of Nagyr, once tributary to Ahmed 
Shah, but now independent, and containing 
upwards of twenty castles. I was meditating an 
excursion over the Muzdagh (or Belor Dagh) to 
the district of Hunzeh, in order to oass thence to 
Pamir, and perhaps to Khokand ; but Ahmed 
Shah told me it a as impossible, as he could not 
depend on the friendship of the people of Hu^izeii.” 


CHAPTER VIIT. 


JOURNEY TO LADAK.. 

R. VIGNE visited Iskardo twice, and during 


one of the visits (but which he does not 
state, nor in what year) he succeeded in ascending 
the Indus to Leh, the capital of Ladak, or Little 
Tibet. His narrative must be detached from the 
innumerable digressions in which he indulges, 
and set together in order, as in the foregoing 
chapters. The first day’s march, after leaving 
Iskardo, was to the eastern end of the valley, 
which the Indus enters by a narrow and difficult 


“The next morning," he says, “we arrived at 
the place where the two branches of the Indus, 
one from Ladak, and the other, the Shayok, from 
Nubra and Karakoram, unite to form the main 
stream. The place of junction is distant 15 miles 
from the Rajah’s castle. The western branch flows 
across an open space, its surface extending over a 
width 150 to 200 yards. The Ladak branch is nar- 
rower, flowing through a rocky defile, with a stream 
not e.xceeding 80 yards in width, but it is deeper, 
darker-colored, and is certainly the larger stream 



pass. 


JOURNEY TO LAD AN. 


123 


of the two. The natives of Baltistan call it the 
tsn-fo, or male river, while the other is called the 
tsu-mo, or female. 

*• I must first ascend the latter river, towards 
Khopalu. Barren and stupendous mountains of 
gneiss, frequently barred with broad streaks of 
quartz, sometimes plunge down from a vast height 
into the still pool or deep and roaring torrent, and 
sometimes recede from it, leaving a margin of 
sand, a few hundred yards in width. A village, 
built on a plateau over the delta of soil, at the 
confluence of one of the innumerable streams that 
pour their drop of water into the Indus, is generally 
in sight. The path is sometimes on a level with 
the river, sometimes rising above it, and carried 
along the side of a precipice by means of roughly- 
split spars, supported on wedges of wood driven 
tightly into the solid rock, and now and then con- 
tinuing for miles, at an elevation that places the 
traveller within sight of snowy peaks, and almost 
in contact with the glacier. 

“ Khopalu (the place of the rock) is reached on 
the third day. The open district so named is a 
long sloping bank, two or three miles in extent, 
on the left side of the river, and exhibiting a green 
and shady confusion of stone walls, cottages and 
fruit trees. The most conspicuous object is the 
castle, built on the summit of a nearly isolated 
rock, which rises more than a thousand feet above 
the Indus. The view from its windows is very 
grand, and they overhang a height which it made 
me almost giddy to look down upon. Ahmed Shah 


124 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


took it from a refractory rajah, by cutting off the 
supply of water. 

“ At Khopalu I was visited by a native physi- 
cian, who brought with him a book called the 
manchuk, composed of loose oblong leaves tied 
up between two boards, and written in Tibetan 
characters. He said he did not know its age, but 
informed me that it was written in Lassa, the 
capital of Great Tibet, and that it was the best 
book on medicine to be found between Lassa and 
Ladak ; which was not, however, saying much for 
it. It was divided into four parts : i, — a treatise 
on the pulse and veins ; 2, — on plants ; 3 and 4, on 
judging of disease by the inspection of the tongue, 
eyes, etc., of the patient. He appeared unwilling 
to part with it, saying that it was his bread, and I 
did not press him to do so. For fever he gave 
camphor, white sandal-wood, elephant’s liver and 
saffron ; for ague, cinnamon, pepper, pomegranate 
and quince seeds. 

“ We passed the castle of Chorbut, which is 
situated so as to command the entrance of the 
defile and pass of Hanu. Beyond the turn of the 
river, above a village called Pranuk, the path in its 
bed was not practicable in consequence of there 
being too much water. The footing on the granite 
rocks which arose from its brink became so alarm- 
ingly narrow and precarious, that, hearing that it 
became more and more difficult further on, I 
thought it best to alter my route, and visit Ladak 
before attempting to reach the sources of the 
Shayok river. At a place called Siksu we were 


JOURNEY TO LADAK. 


125 


entertained with a sword-dance. The performers, 
ten in number, moved around in a circle and back 
again, closing to a centre, and then retiring with 
a slow step, during which they merely held their 
naked swords perpendicularly in the right hand. 
As the music grew louder, their gestures became 
more animated ; they stamped and shouted again 
and again, writhing and twisting their bodies, and 
brandished their swords most furiously, the musi- 
cians exerting themselves to the utmost, and the 
bystanders cheering them from time to time, until 
they were obliged to cease from exhaustion. In 
the regions below Iskardo the dance is not usually 
performed until the parties have drunk deeply of 
wine, and they are then excited to such a pitch of 
frenzy that the effect is almost that of real mad- 
ness, and it is a matter of some danger to approach 
them. 

“ The ascent to the summit of the Hanu pass 
was as dreary and desolate as possible, but not so 
difficult as many others. We crossed the snowy 
ridge at a very early hour in the morning, by which 
arrangement we obtained a secure footing for our 
horses. My thermometer gave me an elevation of 
about I5<500 feet; and I looked from it with 
amazement on a vast ocean of mountain summits, 
extending in every direction as far as the eye could 
reach. The descent was more troublesome, as 
the snow was softened, and we were constantly 
sinking in it up to the rpiddle. 

“ We soon found ourselves among the villages 
of the Bhuts, or genuine Tibetans. Instead of the 


126 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


shorn head, the large, loosely-tied turban and 
drab-colored costumes of the Mahometans of Bal- 
tistan, I now saw for the first time the black felt 
cap, with a rounded top that flapped down to the 
wearer’s cheek ; the hair gathered and twisted into 
a regular pig-tail, and a long, dark, monk-like 
robe, reaching nearly to the heels. They smoked 
a tobacco-pipe of iron, precisely resembling the 
common clay pipe of England. The women, hide- 
ously dirty and not handsome, wear their hair also 
in a tail, but over it is fastened a leathern strap, 
two inches and a half in width, which descends 
from the top of the head to the heels, and on this 
are fastened large lumps of malachite, brought 
from the Chinese frontier. 

“ We were presented with incense-plates in which 
were small branches of dwarf juniper, frying in 
goats’ grease. This species of juniper has been 
called juniperus religiosa by Dr. Royle, it being 
thus held in reverence by the natives of the Hima- 
laya generally, because it grows at an extreme 
height, where their ideas have also given a local 
habitation to demons and spirits. Others made 
their salaam by raising the back of both hands to 
a height even with the forehead, and then repeat- 
edly describing a circle in the air with them, drop- 
ping the fingers downward and turning the palms 
inward ; by which it is meant to express a wish 
that all misfortunes may be averted from the per- 
son whom they are saluting, and be drawn upon 
themselves. 

“ The Hanu stream, along which we descended. 


JOURNEY TO LADAK. 


127 


is an impetuous torrent, which in some places rolls 
along the large stones in its bed, with a noise 
resembling the report of a distant cannon, and 
afterwards leaps into the deep and more tranquil 
stream of the Indus, in a cascade of some magni- 
tude and beauty. The whole party now sat down 
to rest themselves and hold a consultation, as we 
were approaching the frontiers of Ladak, which 
was in possession of the Sikhs. A few were 
gathered around the young Khan ; the others 
sought repose and shade in different parts of the 
rock, and their wild and brigand-like figures, 
dispersed in groups, and reclining in various atti- 
tudes upon the gray stone, were quite in accordance 
with the savage and chaotic scenery around us, 
and fitting subjects for the pencil of a Salvator 
Rosa. 

“ Achmet Ali Khan gave me sundry hints, 
founded upon intelligence which he had received 
from spies at Leh, namely, that he and his people 
would not be allowed to accompany me thither ; 
that all pains had been taken to make the place 
appear as poor and impoverished as possible in my 
eyes, and that I was to be supplied with the flour 
of barley, in order to make me believe there was 
no wheat in the place. To all this, however, I 
paid but little attention. Near this place, I came 
upon the first of those singular Buddhist buildings, 
called Moonis. They are of various shapes, but 
those in particular which I now saw, had at first 
the appearance of a long low shed, or outhouse, 
about twenty yards in length, five feet high, and 


128 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


its width may have been about twelve or fourteen. 
Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a scli'l 
mass of earth and large pebbles ; the roof, a little 
raised in the centre, was entirely covered, and as 
it were tiled, with flat stones of different dimen- 
sions, more or less than a foot in length, on every 
one of which was engraved the Buddhist invoca- 
tion, Om, Mani padma, Om.* 

“At Skerwuchun I found the first large village, 
built after the fashion of Great Tibet. On the top 
of the hill where it first came in sight were some 
more Munis, of a different shape. The appearance 
of the village was alike singular and pretty, and 
reminded me of those formed with a child’s toy. 
Instead of the mud and stone cottages of Little 
Tibet, I found small square and white buildings, 
neatly finished off with projecting eaves of wood. 
They contained, apparently, but one room and one 
window each, the framework painted red. Each 
of these, looking as if it formed part of one large 
house, was raised one above the other on the side 
of the amphitheatre, with apricots, mulberries and 
other fruit trees scattered among them. The La- 
mas and Gelums, or priests and priestesses, were 
seated at the windows, and on the flat roofs, which 
the)' left in order to have a nearer gaze at us, their 
dark red robes and monastic appearance adding 


t Mani padma is one of the appellations of Buddha, and signifies 
the Mani, or holy person, who has the padma, or lotus, for his jewel. 
According to Professor Wilson, the best interpretation of the word 
Om, is : ‘ Let us meditate on the supreme splendor of that divine 
suu who may illuminate our understanding !’ 



riUKSTS OK SKKRU’UCllUN. 




JOURNEY TO LADAK. 


129 


considerably to the effect of the scene. They held 
in one hand the skuru, or praying cylinder, which 
they were incessantly twirling. The skuru is of 
wood, four or five inches long, and shaped like a 
drum ; a spindle of iron is passed through it, on 
which, in the interior of the cylinder, are wound 
written prayers and interjections. The lower end 
of the spindle forms a handle by which it is twirled, 
and on the upper point is fastened a bit of string, 
with a ball at the end of it. This flies round with 
great rapidity, and assists in making the whirring 
noise which comes from the cylinder when it is 
turned, and which would appear to be considered 
as an incessant utterance of the prayers contained 
within it. 

“Upon our approach, the principal priests of 
the place came to salute us. They greeted Achmet 
Ali Khan as if he were come to deliver them from 
the yoke of the Sikhs, and the chief of them pre- 
sented me with a small piece of white cloth, made 
of a kind of grass. Three-quarters of a mile before 
our arrival at another village, called Kulutzi, we 
found a wooden bridge thrown over the Indus, 
where it rushes through a rocky channel, only 25 
yards in width. The next morning I was surprised 
by the intelligence that the bridge had been 
burned in the night, and my friends, the Baltis, 
laid it to the charge of some miscreants in the 
village, and said that it was done to give them and 
me a bad name. We were on the Sikh territory, 
and they knew, as they had told me, but I had not 
paid particular attention to it, that they would 


130 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


have to return by that route, without the presence 
of an Englishman to protect them ; and the Sikhs 
might easily have pushed a force across the river 
and cut off their retreat. In spite of their asser- 
tions, I had serious misgivings and suspicions that 
the bridge had been burned by the Baltis them- 
selves, or by their connivance, that they might be 
unmolested on their return. Nevertheless, upon 
my return to Iskardo, one and all, in the presence 
of Ahmed Shah and myself, and with their hands 
upon the Koran, swore solemnly that they knew 
nothing of the matter. 

“ Gulab Sing, who, from the first commencement 
of my travels in the Alpine Punjab, had looked 
upon me with a suspicious eye, was exceedingly 
unwilling that I should visit Leh, because, for one 
reason, he knew that Runjeet Sing would be sure 
to ask me all about it, and the demand upon him 
for revenue might be thereby increased. He alto- 
gether concealed all intelligence of his conquest 
from Runjeet, in the first instance. It also became 
necessary, apparently, that his reception of me in 
Ladak should be such as would convince his newly 
conquered subjects that he had little respect for 
the name of an Englishman. 

“ Accordingly, as my Balti escort and myself 
were proceeding quietly on our march, a Sikh, 
accompanied by five men, with lighted matchlocks, 
suddenly presented himself, told me that I could 
go no farther, and coolly laid his hand on my 
hridle, but quickly withdrew it at my bidding. 
The Baltis gathered around me and would have 


JOURNEY TO LADAK. 


I3I 

overpowered the Sikhs in a moment, had I inti- 
mated a wish that they should do so ; but it was 
not difficult to see that I had no right to persist in 
bringing a body of armed men, even in the guise 
of an escort, upon Gulab Sing’s territories, without 
his permission. Annoying as it was, after having 
come thus far, I was obliged to take Achmet Ali 
aside, and represent to him the impossibility of his 
proceeding, against the positive refusal of the 
Sikhs, and that if I allowed them to force their 
way, it would afford Gulab Sing a just pretext for 
a counter invasion of Iskardo. In the mean time 
the Sikhs promised to take care of me, and the affair 
ended by our all sitting down upon the ground and 
talking, until my tent was pitched and my dinner 
was prepared. I took leave of Achmet Ali and 
my Balti friends the next morning, and then pro- 
ceeded towards Leh in company with my new 
acquaintances. 

“ The village of Kemis, through which we had 
previously passed, is situated on an elevated plain, 
and I noticed several little water-wheels, so con- 
structed as to turn a fly-wheel shaped like a wind- 
mill, and made apparently for the mere purpose of 
amusement. On the mountain-side facing the vil- 
lage stood a solitary dwelling, discernible only as 
a small speck among the rocks. It is the residence 
of an ascetic lama, who never leaves the spot, 
being supplied with provisions by the peasants 
from the neighboring villages, who receive in 
return the benefit of his blessings and prayers. 
Before arriving at Ladak the country becomes 


132 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


more open, and the path descends to the green 
margin of the river, on which goats, sheep and 
cattle were feeding. The water of the Indus was 
clear, and the stream about 40 yards wide. 

“ Pituk is a large and very picturesque village, 
built on the side of a steep hill ; its numerous rows 
of munis, and the red priests and priestesses mov- 
ing among them, gave it a most singular and 
lively appearance. It stands at the corner of a 
large sandy plain, and immediately after passing 
it I found myself within sight of the town of Leh 
(Ladak is properly the name of the country), and 
at the same time could discern fora great distance 
the course of the Indus, as it meandered towards 
me, through its very grand and open valley, from 
the north-east, and the enormous mountains in the 
direction of the Spiti valley, some of which (but 
these were not in sight) are supposed, by those 
who have seen them from the passes behind Simla, 
to attain an elevation of upwards of 30,000 feet, or 
double the height of Mont Blanc. Several villa- 
ges were scattered along the banks of the river, 
and the whole scene was exceedingly enlivening. 

“ Leh stands on the north bank, on the eastern 
side of the upper extremity of a plain, three miles 
In length, covered with sand and loose stones, and 
sloping gently down to the bank of the Indus, A 
small stream, which fertilizes a nook in the moun- 
tains behind the town, finds its way through the 
plain, where it is so full as to be neither expended 
in irrigation nor lost in sand. On the opposite 
side of the river is a very long sloping plain, of still 


JOURKEY TO LADAK. 


133 


larger dimensions, generally barren ; but the upper 
part of it, called Tok, was green and well sprin- 
kled with white villages. Behind it arose a chain of 
very high mountains. Another chain of moun- 
tains, more than 16,000 feet in height, rise beyond 
Leh, and divide the valley of the Shayok from that 
of the Indus, the nearest distance between them 
being about twenty miles in a direct line. 

“The town of Leh is about 11,500 feet above 
the sea ; it is situated at the foot of a spur from 
the lofty ridge, and contains four or five hundred 
houses, with flat roofs and neatly-finished win- 
dows. On the south side of it is a small verdant 
space, partly edged with poplars, such as in 
England would be called ‘ the green.’ The best 
houses and caravanserais are built around it. The 
interior of the town seemed to be only a confusion 
of dark valleys, sometimes covered over, or rather 
running under the houses themselves. The Rajah’s 
residence, behind it, commands a view of the 
whole town, with the plains and river. It is a 
singular but not inelegant structure, painted 
white, and its numerous stories and windows 
reminded me of an old continental chateau. The 
walls slope inwards, so that the base occupies a 
larger space than is covered by the roof. On the 
summit of the rocky hill, at the foot of which it is 
built, is the residence of a lama. 

“ In the neighborhood of Leh, the mountains are 
everywhere as barren as possible ; but where there 
is a stream, willows, poplars and aspens, and here 
and there a bunch of fir-trees, do their utmost, and 


134 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


not unsuccessfully, to make the scenery green and 
pleasant to the eye. The Rajah has another 
house, in a garden near the town, at the termi- 
nation of a glen which follows up the banks of the 
little stream that supplies Ladak, for a distance of 
two miles. 

“ The commencement of the high plains of Cen- 
tral Asia is but a few days’ march from Leh. The 
only inhabitants are wandering shepherds, who 
ransre with their flocks and their families over an 
almost boundless extent. Those of Pamir, or 
Bam-i-Diinia (the Roof of the World), to the west- 
ward, are 16,000 feet high. The peaks that rise above 
them are generally covered with snow, and the cold 
is so intense that not only the goats but other 
animals, such as the yak, the ibex and the dog, as 
I have already remarked, are provided by nature 
with a covering of poshm^ or shawl wool, next the 
skin. 

“ When I arrived at Leh, I pitched my tent near 
the poplars by the green, and I soon found that it 
was the intention of Gulab Sing’s agents to pre- 
vent me from proceeding further. Nobody but 
my own servants were allowed to approach me. 
An old Patau, who came to pay his respects was 
ordered to quit my tent, and was, I believe, actu- 
ally beaten for what he had done ; and what was 
worse, two Lamas, who came directly to call upon 
me, and to whom I began to put questions con- 
cerning their religion, were peremptorily ordered 
to leave. I was also prevented from purchasing 
provisions, or making preparations, necessary for 


JOURNEY TO LADA A' 


135 


the ptosccution of my journey. Even if I walked 
into the town the bazars were cleared and the 
people hid themselves, terrified at the approach of 
the ruffians who, by thus following me, were vir- 
tually interfering with my projects and rendering 
me powerless. 

“ I several times saw the temporary Rajah ot 
Leh, a minion of Gulab Sing, but the Sikhs would 
never allow him to stop and speak with me. One 
da)' I met him suddenly on horseback, and was 
struck with the appearance of the principal Lama 
of Ladak, who was in the cavalcade ; his red dress 
and broad-brimmed hat made me fancy for an in- 
stant that I beheld a cardinal. I turned my horse to 
ride with the Rajah, but the Sikh officer, Juan Sing, 
instantly came' up and motioned him to proceed. 

“ I at last determined to see him, so one morning 
suddenly ordered my horse and galloped off to the 
Rajah’s residence, attended by my secretary and a 
groom. The attendants endeavored to prevent 
my going up-stairs, but used no force. I ascended 
towards the Rajah’s audience-room, having first 
frightened two Sikhs down-stairs, by half drawing 
my sword upon them. Then, attended by my faith- 
ful Tibetan secretary, I walked without ceremony 
into the Rajah’s chamber. He was seated alone, 
on a carpet at the further end of it, near the 
window. His dress differed but little, except that 
it was more ornamented, from the usual dress of 
the Tibetans, and a canopy of rich Chinese figured 
silk was suspended over his head. His attendants 
and others in the apartment stood around at a re- 


136 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


spcctful distance, and wished me to do the same, 
but it was no time to be ceremonious. I walked up 
to the Rajah, made my salaam, and then sat down 
close by him, and warmly demanded assistance in 
the name of the Maharajah, Runjeet Sing, whose 
guest, and under whose protection, I considered 
myself. 

‘‘ Juan Sing, hearing that I had gone to see the 
Rajah, soon afterwards made his appearance, 
breathless with haste ; and the Rajah, who was 
decidedly alarmed, told me at last that he was 
willing to give me the assistance I wanted, but 
that he was prevented by the fear of Gulab Sing. 
And having got this answer, I quitted the room. 
The next morning the Rajah sent me a dress of 
honor, but of no value, merely as a matter of form, 
and which 1 therefore accepted. I afterwards 
found that there did not seem to be any longer an 
objection to my visiting Nubra and the Shayok 
valley, provided I did not go further, and I availed 
myself of the opportunity of employing the re- 
mainder of my time so profitably. 

“The w'ay by which I travelled first took an 
easterly direction, over the sands, to the village of 
Ayu, and then turned to the north, ascending by 
a long, rocky and very fatiguing zig-zaz to the 
summit of the pass. The thermometer gave me 
an elevation of nearly 16,000 feet, the formation 
being a dark-colored trap. I there suddenly came 
in view of the mountain masses that arose on the 
other side of the Shayok, and the whole horizon 
was serrated by snowy peaks in every direction. 


JOURNEY TO LADAK. 


137 


Among those to the north, the range of the Mus- 
dagh arose in conspicuous and most majestic 
grandeur. 

“ A long and cheerless descent brought us to 
the village of Jugur, our resting-place for the night. 
The next morning we descended upon Morkum, on 
the banks of the river. The stream was low, and 
its average breadth was about forty yards, when it 
was confined within its proper channel. Above 
the village the valley assumes the appearance of a 
defile, and two days’ march up its side brings the 
traveller to the village of Shayok, from which the 
river takes its name. Beyond this there is not, I 
believe, any fixed human habitation for the 
remainder of the way to Yarkand, the whole dis- 
tance to which from Ladak occupies a little more 
than a month. 

“The road to Yarkand ascends the bed of the 
river, which is constantly crossed and recrossed by 
wading ; and the mountains or pass of Karakoram 
are in this manner reached, about the ninth or 
tenth day from Ladak. The aspect of the lateral 
valley of Nubra, which enters that of Shayok on 
the north, is altogether very pretty and enlivening, 
and I was surprised at the number and appearance 
of the houses scattered on different parts of it, but 
not now occupied, as formerly, by persons of some 
property. A castle stands on a rocky eminence of 
about 150 feet high, with a village at its foot. 
The villages are numerous and picturesquely built, 
after the Ladak fashion, and there is no lack of 
ipricot or mulberry trees around them. 


138 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ I returned from Nubra to Leh by another pass, 
to the south of that by which I went thither. It 
was of about the same height, but more cov^ered 
with snow. Upon my arrival at Leh, I found it as 
desolate as I had left it ; but those of my servants 
who had remained there told me that in my absence 
the town had presented quite a different appear- 
ance ; that the bazars were well filled, and no one 
had been afraid of showing himself ; travellers and 
merchants had come in from the northward, and a 
flock of the large sheep, already mentioned, had 
arrived with their burdens of poshm, or shawl-wool. 
On my way back, I noticed by the path-side a 
small building of loose stones, covered with the 
horns of the ibex, and different species of wild 
goats, while the centre was a horrible but gro- 
tesque countenance, carved in wood, intended to 
represent an evil spirit. The pile, in fact, was 
erected for the purpose of propitiating some 
imaginary element of evil. 

“ I soon afterwards set out on my return to 
Iskardo, where old Ahmed Shah received me with 
the same kind hospitality that he had ever shown, 
but could not repress a smile, in which I joined 
him, at my having run up and down so many miles 
of the Indus, to so little purpose. 

“ On my way back to the Punjab, Gulab Sing 
took occasion to send and inform me that, if I 
wished, he would order Juan Sing’s nose to be cut 
off, and forwarded to me by way of punishing him 
for his insolence. He afterwards sent one of his 
principal secretaries with a large bag of rupees, 


JOURNEY TO LA DAK. 


139 


and a valuable dress, as an earnest of his wish that 
I would come to be his guest at Jamu, or would give 
him an interview on the road. I refused, however ; 
and when I got to Lahore, I made a regular com- 
plaint to Runjeet Sing, at an interview which he 
gave me in his private audience-room.” 

Mr. Vigne made another visit to Iskardo, during 
his stay in India, and endeavored, but without suc- 
cess, to reach the little Alpine state of Gilgit, 
lying to the north-west, between the Indus and the 
source of the Oxus. A second attempt to ascend 
the Shayok branch of the Indus to its source in the 
lofty Karakoram range, was also unsuccessful. 
His explorations, however, established a broad 
base of knowledge of the Upper Indus and the 
Tibetan Himalayas, from which all expeditions 
towards Central Asia have since been undertaken. 
He returned to England in 1839, ^fter an absence 
of seven years. 


CHAPTER IX. 


MR. SHAW’S PREPARATIONS TO EXPLORE CEN- 
TRAL ASIA. 

T 70 R several years after the murder of Adolf 
Schlagintweit became known, there was no 
further attempt made to follow in his footsteps. 
Little by little, however, the sum of information 
concerning the region was increased, by intercourse 
with those of its natives who visited Ladak, by 
the Hindoos sent thither by the English surveying 
officers, and by brief excursions along and over 
the frontiers of the dangerous territory. In 1858, 
a Russian officer, Capt. Valikhanoff, who was the 
son of a Kirghiz chief, disguised himself as a wan- 
dering trader of the tribe, succeeded in crossing 
the range of the Thian-Shan, and penetrated to 
Kashghar, when he was compelled to return. On 
the southern, or Tibetan side, Mr. Johnson, an 
officer of the English survey, crossed the range ol 
Kuen-Liin, and safely reached the city of Khoten, 
where he was received in a very friendly manner 
by the native chief. 

In the mean time, important political changes 
had taken place. The Tartar chief, Walle Khan, 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. 


141 


by whose order Schlagintweit was executed, did 
not succeed in gaining possession of the cities of 
Yarkand and Kash- 
gar, vdiich were 
still held by their 
Chinese garrisons, 
but his invasion had 
the effect of stirring 
up all the elements 
of revolution among 
a people so mixed in 
blood. In the spring 
of 1863, the Toon- 
ganees, who are 
said to have sprung 
from the intermar- 
riage of Tartars and 
Chinese, using the 
language of the lat- 
ter while they are 
Mussulmen in re- 
ligion, rose against 
the Chinese officers in Yarkand and Khoten, 
and, after a severe struggle, gained possession of 
both places. In Kashghar, the Chinese, anticipating 
a similar revolt, invited the Toonganees to a feast 
and then massacred them all in cold blood. 

Through these events the whole country was 
aroused. Immediately the Kirghiz Tartars de- 
scended from all the neighboring mountain regions, 
drawn together by the desire of plunder, and at- 
tacked Kashghar. The Chinese and their Tur- 



142 


CEXl R A I. ASIA. 


coman partisans defended the city, until they were 
reduced to the greatest straits. “ First they ate 
their horses, then the dogs and cats, then their 
leather boots and straps, the saddles of their horses 
and the strings of their bows. At last they would 
collect together in parties of five or six, who would 
go prowling about with ravenous eyes until they 
saw some one alone, some unfortunate comrade 
who still retained the flesh on his bones. They 
would drag him aside and kill him, afterwards 
dividing the flesh between them, and each carry- 
ing off a piece hidden under his robe.” Thirty or 
forty men died of hunger every day. At last, 
when no defenders were left on the walls or at the 
gateways, the Kirghiz made good their entrance. 

Their victory was marked by indescribable bar- 
barities. The whole city was given up to plunder, 
and numbers of men, women and children were 
murdered. In the midst of these horrors, a new 
force appeared upon the scene. The news that 
Walle Khan had subjugated all the open country, 
had crossed the western mountains ; and a member 
of the royal Tartar family which reigned in Central 
Asia more than a hundred years ago, Bozoorg 
Khan, accompanied by Mohammad Yakoob, an 
energetic general, a native of the Khanate of Kho- 
kand, gathered together eighty followers, and set 
out to reconquer his lost inheritance. The people 
of Kashghar welcomed him with professions of 
allegiance, and his little band of adventurers soon 
oecame so strong that they routed the plundering 
Kirghiz, seized and executed many of the chiefs. 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. 


143 


and established themselves in the city. This took 
place in January, 1864. 

The Chinese still held the strong fortress of 
Yangee-Shahr, situated about five miles to the 
south of Kashghar. Bozoorg Khan, reinforced by 
five hundred men from Khokand, commenced a 
siege, which lasted fourteen months before the 
supplies of the garrison were exhausted. From 
the accounts given by the people, he was an indo- 
lent man, whose only interest was in the ceremo- 
nies belonging to his new royal state. The lead- 
ing spirit of the movement was Mohammad 
Yakoob, who was formerly known to the Russians 
as a bold and desperate fighter, and bore on his 
body five marks left by their musket balls. Tired 
of the slow siege operations, Mohammad Yakoob 
took a small body of soldiers and marched against 
Yarkand, which had been for a year in the posses- 
sion of the Toonganees. A battle was fought 
under the walls of the city, but he was defeated 
and obliged to retreat. The Toonganees and 
their allies followed. Having rapidly reinforced 
his army, he lay in wait in the jungle, near a town 
called Kizil, and completely routed the enemy, 
after which he was obliged to return to Kashghar 
to suppress some dissensions which had broken 
out among the besiegers. 

Early in 1865, the Amban, or Chinese Governor 
of the fortress, called a council of his chief officers, 
and proposed making terms with Mohammad 
Yakoob. The officers assented, and began ap- 
portioning among themselves the respective shares 


144 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


they should furnish as a present to the conqueror. 
Meanwhile, the Amban, who had collected his 
whole family — his daughters behind his seat, and 
his sons serving tea to the guests, who were seated 
on chairs around the room — listened attentively 
for signs of the capture of the place. Presently 
he heard the shouts of Allahoo-akhbar ! by which 
the Mussulmen announced their entry into the 
fortress. Thereupon he took his long pipe from 
his mouth, and shook the burning ashes out on a 
certain spot of the floor where a train of gunpowder 
communicated with a barrel which he had pre- 
viously prepared under the floor of the room. 
While the unconscious officers were still consult- 
ing about a surrender, the house was blown up and 
all perished in the ruins. 

Having now the use of his whole army, Mo- 
hammad Yakoob took a city called Maralbashee, 
by which he cut off the communication between 
the allies of the Toonganees at Yarkand and their 
homes. He then advanced against Yarkand, 
which, after a siege of a month, was forced to sur- 
render. These successes so increased Mohammad 
Yakoob’s popularity with the soldiers, and his 
influence over the people, that he felt himself able 
to assume the sovereignty. Quietly ignoring 
Bozoorg Khan, the heir to the ancient throne, who 
had given himself up to idleness and debauchery, 
he sent his envoys to the neighboring nations, and 
took into his own hands the government of the 
kingdom. The Ameer of Bokhara responded by 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. I45 

addressing him as Atalik-Ghazee (Tutor of the 
Champions), by which title he still reigns. 

What part Walle Khan, the first invader and con- 
queror of Central Asia, took in this last, complete 
subjugation of the whole country, is not stated. 
He appears to have been among the princes of 
royal blood, who opposed Mohammad Yakoob’s 
assumption of the sovereignty, for he was soon 
seized and executed by the latter’s orders. 
Bozoorg Khan was held in a kind of honorable 
restraint, until 1868, when he was set at liberty on 
condition of making a pilgrimage to Mecca. On 
returning therefrom, he betook himself to his old 
home among the mountains of Khokand. 

After having spent two years in consolidating 
his power, Mohammad Yakoob set about extend- 
ing his conquests. His first march was against 
Khoten, and it was darkly signalized by an act of 
treachery towards the chief of that province and 
all his principal men, who were invited to visit the 
conqueror and then basely assassinated. The city 
of Khoten resisted, and was only taken after 3000 
men had been slaughtered. During the same year, 
1867, he subjugated the eastern countries of Ak-su, 
Koo-chee and other regions inhabited by a mixed 
Tartar population, v/ho had long been under 
Chinese rule. The extent of his sway to the east- 
ward cannot be accurately ascertained, but it 
apparently embraces nearly all the territory to the 
west of the desert of Lob, lying between latitude 
thirty-five and forty-five degrees, and seventy-five 
to eighty-five degrees east longitude. 


146 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


The news that the Russians were constructing 
a fortress in a pass near the head-waters of the 
Syr-daria, or Jaxartes, a week’s journey westward 
from Kashghar, compelled Mohammad Yakoob to 
return from his eastern conquests. In the autumn 
of 1868 he received a visit from Captain Reinthal, 
a Russian officer, and soon afterwards sent an 
envoy of his own to St. Petersburg. At the same 
time he set about fortifying the passes in the high 
range of the Thian-Shan, to the north of Kashghar. 
In the winter of 1869, he also took possession of 
the high valley or table-land of Sirikol, part of 
that region called Pamir (or Pamere), where the 
O.xus finds its source. 

The success of Mohammad Y akoob was the means 
by which Central Asia was opened to European 
explorers. The dangers which surrounded this 
region were not the terrific mountain passes, far 
higher than those of the Andes — not the char- 
acter of the inhabitants, many of whom are ot 
Aryan blood, and nearly all of whom are cheerful, 
social, and hospitable — but the jealousy and sus- 
picion of all previous rulers, whether Tartar or 
Chinese. The first traveller who was so fortunate 
as to take advantage of the new state of things, 
was Mr. Robert Shaw, at present British Com- 
missioner in Ladak, or Little Tibet. In twelve 
years after Schlangtweit’s fate seemed to illustrate 
the impossibility of such an undertaking, he 
reached Yarkand and Kashghar, and returned in 
safety. 

For several years Mr. Shaw had been stationed 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. 


147 


in the Kangra Valley, among the Himalayas. 
Repeated shooting excursions, extended as far as 
Cashmere, had rendered him familiar with Asiatic 
travel, and his familiarity with the southern side ol 
that gigantic mountain-wall which defends India 
on the north, led him to desire an acquaintf.uce 
with the half-known or unknown regions beyond 
it. Natives from Ladak frequently made their ap- 
pearance in the Kangra Valley. “ Black tents ot 
peculiar make appear for a few days at a time in 
the winter on open spaces by the roadsides, and 
shelter dingy families of narrow-eyed Tibetans — • 
petty traders, who come down with their wares. 
They are not prepossessing in appearance, with 
their high cheek-bones, their dirt, and their long 
pig-tails. But they are the most good-tempered 
of mortals, and they always greet you with a 
grin. 

“ Moreover, every year the few English sports- 
men who penetrate into the wilder parts of Ladak 
bring down reports of the wonderful animals to 
be found there, and erf the curious customs of the 
Booddhist inhabitants. Wild sheep as large as 
ponies, wild cattle with bushy tails like horses and 
long hair on their flanks reaching nearly to the 
ground, besides antelopes and gazelles, are to be 
obtained by those who toil sufficiently ; while, for 
non-sportsmen, the curious monasteries perched 
on almost inaccessible rocks, with their Romish 
ceremonial, their prayer-wheels, their gigantic 
images, and ancient manuscripts, form the chief 
attraction. 


148 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ But while Ladak was thus tolerably well 
known, though situate at the distance of nearly a 
month’s march across the mountains, the region 
beyond it seemed to combine all the attractions of 
mystery and of remoteness. Some few native tra- 
ders had been known to penetrate to the distant 
marts of Yarkand, and even Kashghar, and they 
brought back frightful tales of toil endured and ot 
perils escaped. Men’s lives were there said to be 
of no more account than sheep’s, and few traders 
ever dared to repeat the venture. Rumors of re- 
bellion in those regions also reached India. The 
subject Moghuls, a Mussulman race, were said to 
have risen and massacred their Chinese masters, 
and to have established the independence of the 
‘ Land of the Six Cities,’ as they called the coun- 
try which is shown in our maps as Chinese Tartary.” 
Attracted towards this region in 1867, Mr. 
Shaw extended his usual yearly excursion as far as 
Ladak. His companion and himself were anxious 
to meet those caravans from Central Asia which 
annually came to Western Tibet. Their plan 
was to make acquaintance with the merchants, 
join then if possible, and push on at least to Kho- 
ten, which Mr. Johnson had reached two years 
before. These hopes, however, were frustrated by 
the news of the conquest of Khoten, and the mur- 
der of its former chief, by Mohammad Yakoob. 
Although the intelligence was received by the 
travellers before crossing the Himalaya range, 
they determined to go on to Ladak. Mr. Shaw 
gives a most vivid and picturesque description of 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. 


149 


the scenery, and the sights which the traveller en- 
counters on the way : 

“ After leaving the narrow fir-crowned gorges, 
the precipitous cliffs and the glacier-passes of the 
real Himalaya, we entered upon the vast table- 
land of Tibet in the district called Roopshoo ; 
which, however, reminds one at first sight of the 
British soldier’s remark about Abyssinia : ‘ Well, 
if it is a table, it is a table with all the legs upper- 
most.’ 

“ Lying at an elevation equal to that of Mont 
Blanc, this plateau consists of broad valleys with- 
out water, which seem a few hundred yards wide, 
and are really plains of many miles in extent. On 
either side arise rolling mountains of all shades of 
red, yellow, and black ; the rock occasionally crop- 
ping out near the summit to break the uniformity 
of the long shingly slopes of debris. Everything 
is bare gravel, both mountains and plains. Not a 
glimpse of verdure is to be seen, save in some 
slight depression where the eye at a distance 
catches a faint yellow gleam along the ground, 
which a nearer approach shows to be the effect of 
some scattered blades of a harsh and prickly grass, 
piercing up through the gravel like so many dis- 
colored porcupine quills. When you begin to de- 
spair of finding those great traveller’s requisites, 
water and wood, your guide will lead you into a re- 
cess of the hills, where a small stream derived 
from some distant snow-bed far up the hill-sides, 
has given rise, before disappearing under the gravel 
to a thicket of brushwood tw'o or three feet high 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


150 

and where groups of shallow pits, surrounded by 
loose stone walls, each with its rough fire-place in 
the middle, point out where the wandering tribes 
of Tibetans occasionally pitch their tents. If you 
are wise, you will take advantage of these shelter- 
ing side-walls, low and creviced though they be, 
for suddenly, in the afternoon, there will arise a 
terrific blast of deadly cold wind, w'hich will numb 
all the life in your body under a dozen covers, if it 
strike you. The Tibetan traveller cares for no roof 
overhead if he can shelter himself from the wind 
behind a three foot high wall. Hence the nume- 
rous little stone enclosures clustered together like 
cells of a honeycomb at every halting-place, with 
one side always raised against the prevailing wind. 
While thus sheltering himself from the cold of the 
afternoon, the traveller will scarcely believe he is 
in the same country where in the morning he was 
guarding against sunstroke, and nearly blinded by 
the insufferable glare. 

“ It is a terribly unsatisfactory country to travel 
in. On those endless plains you never seem to 
arrive anywhere. For hours you march towards 
the same point of the compass, seeing ever the 
same objects in front of you. If you discover an- 
other party of travellers coming towards you in 
the distance, you may travel for half a day before 
you meet them. The air is so clear that there is 
no prospective ; everything appears in one plane, 
and that close to the eyes. When, after threading 
these interminable valley-plains, you descend again 
towards the inhabited country of Ladak, the first 


MR. S/IAiV'S EXPLORATIONS. 151 

bits of village cultivation seen on an opposite hill- 
side have a most singular effect. ‘ Cela vous saute 
aux yeux.’ They seem to come right out of the 
surrounding landscape of desert, and to meet you 
with almost painful distinctness. Imagine patches 
out of the best cultivated parts of England, drop- 
ped here and there into a parched and howling 
waste of mountains, such as one might imagine the 
Atlas to be, or such as Aden is ; and this under an 
Italian sky, with an atmosphere which acts like a 
telescope, bringing the most minute and distant 
objects into notice. No gradations of verdure ; 
each bit of cultivation is as distinctly defined from 
the surrounding desert hill-side as if it had been 
actually cut out by measurement from another 
country and dropped there. 

“ Approaching the village, you pass a long, low, 
broad wall, covered with flat stones, inscribed with 
sacred sentences in two different styles of the 
Tibetan character. This is a ‘ Mane,’ and not a 
village is without several of them. At each end 
there is probably a ‘ Chorten,’ in form a large 
square pedestal, surmounted by a huge inverted 
tea-pot, all whitewashed ; while crowning all is a 
small wooden globe or crescent supported on a 
sort of obelisk. These erections, varying from ten 
to twenty feet in height, are supposed to contain 
the remains of sainted Lamas, whose bodies have 
there been buried in a standing position. Little 
pigeon-holes at the sides are filled with numerous 
small medallions, looking like lava ornaments. 
They are moulded into wonderful figures of hun- 


152 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


dred-handed deities, venerated by this denomina- 
tion of Boodhists, and are composed of clay, 
mixed with the ashes of other dead Lamas, who 
are thus, in a material sense, transformed at death 
into the image of their gods. 

“ On reaching one of these structures, the de- 
vout Tibetan invariably passes it on his right ; 
hence the road here always bifurcates to allow of 
this being done both by goers and by comers. 
The scattered houses of the village are flat-roofed, 
two-storied, built of huge sun-dried bricks, with 
walls sloping considerably inwards, and finished off 
with brilliant white and red stucco over the doors 
and windows. On the roofs are generally small 
piles of horns (either of wild animals or of domestic 
sheep and goats) stuck all over with small flags and 
rags of colored cotton. Fierce-looking black ‘ yaks ’ 
(the cattle of Tibet) with their bushy tails, and 
long hair hanging below their knees, and giving 
them a petticoated appearance, graze about the 
fields or grunt discontentedly as they are led in by 
the nose to carry the traveller’s baggage. They 
are generally conducted by the women, who wear 
red and blue petticoats with the stripes disposed 
up and down, cloth boots gartered up to the knee, 
tight-fitting jackets covered with a sheepskin cape 
(hair inwards), sometimes lined with a scarlet 
cloth, bare heads with curious cloth lappets pro- 
tecting both ears from the bitter wind, and, above 
all, a ‘ perak,’ their most precious ornament, con- 
sisting of a broad strip of leather hanging down 
the back from the top of the head, and sown all 








T 



TIBETAN PEASANT. 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. 


153 


over with rows of large false turquoises gradually 
dwindling away to single stones near the tip. The 
men, beardless all, wear similar cloth boots, thick 
woollen frocks girt round the waist and just reach- 
ing below the top of the leggings, and on their 
pig-tailed head a kind of black Phrygian cap, like 
an English drayman’s, of which the hanging end 
serves a variety of purposes, being brought down 
either to shade the eyes from the sun or to shelter 
either ear from the cold, chilly blasts of the after- 
noon. 

“ Amongst the group collected to stare at the 
traveller there is generally a Lama, dressed in a 
red robe which rdlows one arm and shoulder to be 
bare, as is also the head. In his hand he carries a 
prayer-cylinder, which he whirls round on its 
wooden handle by an almost imperceptible motion 
of the hand, aided by a string and small weight 
attached to it, and assisting the rotation. Perched 
on some neighboring pinnacle, or jammed against 
the vertical face of some rock, is the Lama’s mon- 
astery. Such is a Tibetan village, without a tree 
except a few stunted willows along the life-giving 
water-courses ; while all above, to the very edge, 
is a howling wilderness of gravel, with no signs of 
man’s existence. 

“ In the broad valley of the Upper Indus, which 
constitutes Ladak, the villages in places extend 
continuously for several miles. The crops are 
here wonderfully luxuriant, and the climate is 
milder, the elevation being only 11,000 feet. The 
town of Leh itself is nestled under the hills, at a 


154 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


distance from the river of some four miles up a 
long gentle gravelly slope. 

“ Arriving here, I was preparing to study the 
Tibetan manners and customs more attentively, but 
the first walk through the town at once dispelled 
all the rather contemptuous interest which I had 
began to take in the people of the place, by intro- 
ducing a greater interest in lieu thereof. For 
stalking about the streets, or seated in silent rows 
along the bazaar, were to be seen men of a different 
type from those around. Their large white tur- 
bans, their beards, their long and ample outer 
robes, reaching nearly to the ground, and open in 
front, showing a shorter under-coat girt at the 
waist, their heavy riding boots of black leather, 
all gave them an imposing air ; while their digni- 
fied manners, so respectful to others, and yet so 
free from Indian cringing or Tibetan buffoonery, 
made them seem like men among monkeys com- 
pared with the people around them. 

“ Perhaps it was partly the thought of their 
mysterious home which imparted to these Toorkee 
merchants such a halo of interest. Visitants from 
a world of hitherto forbidden access to all others, 
these very men must have witnessed the tremen- 
dous vengeance which, like a second Sicilian 
Vespers, had recently consigned 50,000 invaders to 
a violent death. They had probably themselves 
taken part in the massacre of the Chinese idola- 
ters. Their eyes must be quite accustomed to the 
wholesale executions which were said to be of daily 
occurrence in those distracted regions. Their ances- 


MR. SHAW'S EXPLORATIONS. 


155 


tors, right back to the time of Tamerlane and 
Chenghiz Khan, must have taken part in those 
convulsions which, originating in Central Asia, 
have been felt even in the distant West. 

“When we began to make their acquaintance, 
their disposition seemed hardly to correspond with 
the terrific character which was ascribed to their 
compatriots. They came and sat with us in our 
tents, and talked in a friendly way with us through 
an interpreter, sipping our tea the while with 
great gusto, despite the horror-stricken looks of 
our Indian Mussulmans who are so far Hindooized 
as to consider such an act a breach of caste. Our 
guests were essentially ‘ good-fellows,’ able to 
enjoy a joke and give one in return, talking fteely, 
and yet never stepping beyond the proper limit. 
They seemed to respect both themselves and those 
they conversed with, and when they rose, they 
took their leave with the deferential bows of a 
courtier. In color they were scarcely darker than 
Europeans, with red lips and ruddy faces. On our 
first arrival a man approached me dressed in a felt 
wide-awake, a long flowered dressing-gown and 
high riding-boots. His beard and moustache were 
light brown, his face quite fair, and he stared me 
in the face like an Englishman. I was on the point 
of addressing him as one, when he turned aside 
and sat down by my Mussulman servants. He was 
a Yarkandee ‘ Hajjee ’ or pilgrim !” 

It was fortunate for Mr. Shaw that just at this 
time the Indian Government enforced a considera- 
ble reduction of the duties on the trade between 


156 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


Cashmere, Ladak and Central Asia. The natives 
of Yarkand, who were then in Leh, came to him to 
express their gratitude for the measure, and it was 
evident that the good reports sent home would 
enable him to undertake the journey under very 
favorable auspices. He stayed a month at Leh, 
studying the character of the people, and collect- 
ing information. Leaving late in October, he was 
barely able, by forced marches, to cross the pass 
into India, before it was closed for tne season by 
the snow. Having finally reached his home in the 
Kangra Valley, he at once began to prepare for 
an expedition the following year. His companion 
was not able to accompany him, so he determined 
to go alone, as an English merchant, with a stock 
of goods suited to the markets of Yarkand and 
Kashghar. 

In order to avoid suspicion, Mr. Shaw decided to 
make no measurements, take no observations, and 
to rely only on a small prismatic compass, which 
might be considered as a trinket by the natives. 
As an assistant and confidential agent, he engaged 
a Mussulman named Diwan Baksh, who had been 
in his service as a writer. The latter understood 
Persian and Arabic, was familiar with the etiquette 
of the native courts, and the fact that he had a 
family in the Kangra Valley seemed to be a suf- 
ficient guarantee for his fidelity. 


CHAPTER X. 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. 

N the 6th of May, 1868, Mr. Shaw started on 


his second journey to Ladak. His progress 
at first was very slow. His assumed character of 
merchant obliged him to take a large quantity of 
goods, the transport of which became a serious 
matter. He was obliged to go ahead and provide 
change of mules or porters, at the end of every 
seven or eight days’ march. On reaching the val- 
ley of Kooloo, a native doctor, maintained there 
by the Government, came to report that an orphan 
boy of Yarkand, the only survivor of a family which 
had gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca two or three 
years before, had been left in his hands. He was 
a rosy, fat-cheeked youth, apparently quite self- 
possessed and happy, with high cheek-bones and 
narrow eyes, very Mongolian in type, dressed in a 
curious combination of the garments of Mecca, 
India and Toorkistan. He wore a red skull-cap 
from the first place, a white cotton frock from the 
second, with a stout pair of Yarkand riding-boots 
reaching to the knee. When Mr. Shaw asked him 
A'hether he would accompany him back to his 



158 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


old liome, he at once answered “ Yes.” He was 
immediately attached to the expedition, in the 
belief that his restoration to his family would be a 
good introduction to the officials of Yarkand. 

The Bara Lacha pass of the Himalayas, by which 
Ladak is entered, could not be crossed until the 
2nd of July, on account of its great elevation and 
the quantity of snow. Mr. Shaw thus describes 
the region : 

“The Bara Lacha is the boundary between two 
separate regions distinguished by their physical 
characters. That which we have already passed 
through may be called the true Himalayan region. 
Here the gigantic ranges are covered with perpet- 
ual snow, furrowed by glaciers, and they rise from 
amidst dense forests which clothe their flanks up 
to a certain elevation. They are separated by 
deep gorges, whose sides are precipices, and through 
which large rivers flow. In fact, the scenery is 
Alpine. Once across the Bara Lacha Pass, how- 
ever (or any other pass on the same range), you 
enter a region where all gorges or valleys appear 
to have been filled up by an encroaching sea of 
gravel, which has risen to within a few hundred 
feet of the summits of the ranges. The space 
between the mountains no longer plunges down 
into a seemingly bottomless ravine, whose sides 
narrow down till they barely leave room for the 
stream Instead of that it is occupied by a broad 
high-level plain, out of which the summit ranges 
merely rise like undulations. We notice the pre- 
valence of the horizontal, after the vortical lines to 


JOURNEY TO THE NARAKASH RIVER. I 59 

which the Himalaya has accustomed us. It is like 
leaving a Gothic cathedral, and approaching the 
Parthenon. At the same time, a kind of drought 
seems to have fallen over the face of the country. 
There are no vast fields of snow to supply streams 
of water, and no frequent showers to maintain ver- 
dure. Such must be the aspect of a landscape in 
the moon. 

“ It seems as if we had here a rough block, from 
which Nature intended hereafter to carve out the 
usual features of a mountain country by some change 
of climate, which should bring snow, ice and water 
to sweep out the masses of earth or gravel by which 
the mountain ranges are now glued together. The 
almost entire absence of rainfall suggests a spec- 
ulation as to whether its presence might not (after 
geologic ages) bring the country into resemblance 
to its neighbor region, where copious rain and 
deep-cut ravines exist together. 

“ Henceforward, however, we must bear in mind 
that we are in the barren or Tibetan region, where 
green spots are about as rare as islands in the 
ocean, and universal gravel is the rule.” 

Before proceeding to Leh, the capital, Mr. Shaw 
determined to make a trip to the eastward of La- 
dak, skirting the borders of Chinese Tibit, in order 
to avoid the town by crossing the Indus higher jp 
its course, and strike into a new route which was 
supposed to lead more directly into Eastern Toor- 
kestan. He left the main route to Leh at a point 
called Rookshin, and travelled eastward for twelve 
days over the high table-land of Roopshoo, the 


i6o 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


average elevation of which is 15,000 feet above the 
sea, while the scattered peaks frequently rise to 
the height of 20,000. The road then gradually 
descended towards the valley of the Indus, after 
crossing which and another barren range of moun- 
tains, Mr. Shaw reached the Pangong Lake, on the 
Chinese frontier. Writing from his camp on its 
shores, on the 20th of July, he gives the following 
picture of the scenery : 

“ It is altogether about eighty miles long, but 
only four or five miles wide. The color of its 
water, the shape of its mountains, the climate (at 
this moment), everything almost, reminds me of 
the Lake of Geneva. But there is one great ex- 
ception to be made : there is not one blade of 
green ! For the distant mountain view this does 
not make much difference. The purples and blues 
remain the same. But, for the nearer view the 
alteration is most striking. Instead of the green 
vineyards and trees of Lausanne and Vevay you 
have a great sloping plain of gravelly white sand, 
with less grass than on a well-trodden gravel walk. 
This slopes down on the left from a little snowy 
range (little only because it rises from such a pro- 
digious altitude) whose glaciers come down to 
within a few hundred feet of this plain. Some of 
them are bright and sugary like the Glacier des 
Bossons (a rare sight in the HimMaya). One of 
them runs down between its dark moraine sides, 
like an old gentleman’s white shirt-frill. Three 
times to-day we have seen grass, and our camp is 
actually at a village, where a glacier stream is 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAk'ASH RIVER. lOl 

made with great trouble to fertilize a few acres of 
ground. The lake being brackish, although beau- 
tifully clear and deep blue, does not produce any 
grass on its banks. 

“ Four or five days ago we crossed the Upper 
Indus (north-eastward). With great difficulty, I 
saved all my things from a wetting ; for the men 
were up to their necks in water crossing, and the 
current strong. I lashed my loads on the top of 
two parallel tent-poles, which four men carried on 
their shoulders ; four other men assisted these at 
each crossing, and so in the course of four or five 
hours we managed the job. I had to wade and 
swim across, sending my clothes on the top of the 
loads. The stream was only fifty yards across, — 
rather a contrast with the same river as it passes 
through the Punjab and Sinde, where during the 
floods it is ten miles wide ! Have you noticed 
what a curious course it has ? It rises in the 
mysterious and sacred lake of Mansorawar, near 
the source of the great Brahmapootra. It runs 
north-west for many hundred miles before its 
course becomes known. It continues in the same 
direction through Ladak and Baltistan, after which 
it again enters a mysterious and unexplored coun- 
try, where it entirely changes its direction, 
emerging at Attock, with a south-westerly course 
through the Punjab and Sinde. It is very curious 
knowing little bits of a river, while the rest is 
altogether unknown.” 

A week later, Mr. Shaw met Dr. Cayley, then 
British Resident at Leh, who had been exploring 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


162 

the region eastward, as far as the Kuen-Liin 
range. On returning with him to Leh, which 
place they reached in the beginning of August, 
Mr. Shaw found there a Yarkand envoy who was 
on his way homeward from a mission to Cashmere. 
Here was an opportunity too auspicious to be 
neglected. “ I mentioned to him,” says Mr. Shaw, 
“ that I intended to go as far as the Karakash 
River, where Dr. Cayley had just been. He said, 
‘ If you come as far as that, you must come on to 
Yarkand ; for how could I report to my King that 
I had left an Englishman so near his country V I 
said that I heard a great report of the justice and 
greatness of his King, so that I was devoured by a 
desire to go and witness his virtues for myself, and 
that I should be very happy to join him (the 
envoy) in his journey, if he were willing. He said, 
‘ Certainly he would take me.’ Afterwards, I had 
another private talk with him. I said that perhaps 
my best plan would be to ask permission of his 
King first, and, for that purpose, to send my agent 
with him. He replied, ‘ Khoob ast ’ (‘ It is 
good ’) ; and promised that an answer should 
reach me at Leh in forty days. After giving him 
and his suite some tea to drink, I again said, 
‘Then I will consider it settled that my servant 
goes with you, if that be your pleasure.’ He 
turned round, and clapped my man on the back in 
a hearty way, saying, ‘ Of course, it is my plea- 
sure — he is my brother.’ Since then he has desired 
my man, Diwfin Bakhsh, to be in readiness to ac- 
company him ; so I trust that is settled. I intend 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. IO3 

to send with him some presents for the King and 
other chiefs there, in order to procure permission 
for myself to follow. The envoy, I hear, has just 
sent off a letter to his master, saying that an 
Englishman (myself) whom he had met at Lahore 
when he went down to visit the Lord-Sahib (the 
Governor of the Punjab) had now come to Ladak, 
and had asked to be allowed to go with him to 
Yarkand ; but that he had refused permission until 
his Highness’s pleasure was known !” 

The Y arkand envoy left Leh on the 28th ot 
August. Mr. Shaw’s agent, Diwan Baksh, accom- 
panied him, bearing a letter and presents for 
Mohammad Yakoob, the new ruler of Central 
Asia. It now only remained to make the neces- 
sary preparations for the journey, and then follow, 
in the expectation of receiving permission to 
proceed, on reaching the Yarkand frontier. The 
chief difficulty was to procure means of transport 
for the goods and supplies. The carrying trade 
between Ladak and Yarkand is in the hands of a 
set of half-breeds, called argoons, who own some 
miserable, half-starved ponies, for which they 
demand exorbitant hire. The fact that Mr. Shaw, 
as a stranger, might be unfavorably received in 
Yarkand, enabled these men to practise all sorts 
of imposition upon him. Those who had good 
horses, after making him agree to pay an enormous 
price for them, would finally start away without a 
word of explanation, with some other employer ; 
while those who had skeletons of horses, or no 
lorses at all, eagerly entered into agreements 


164 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


which they were utterly unable to fulfil. The 
Yarkand merchants always make the journey with 
their own horses, and Mr. Shaw’s better plan would 
have been to buy, had it been possible at that 
time to obtain good animals. 

“ All these troubles,” he says, “ I will leave to 
the imagination, merely saying that I did not 
start from Leh until the 20th of September, being 
compelled to trust the greater part of the goods to 
the tender mercies of an Argoon named ‘ Momin ’ 
(the faithful one), who promised to start after 
me in eight or ten days when his horses should be 
ready. The native Governor of Laddk promised to 
give the man guides to take him by the new route 
which I was going to try. The Governor also gave 
me an order on several villages near the Pangong 
Lake for ponies, which, according to the custom of 
the country, the villagers are bound to hire out to 
travellers at fixed rates. This determination I 
had come to when I found I could not get enough 
horses from the Argoons to carry both the goods 
and also my own camp and baggage. I thought I 
could shift for myself, and secure ponies from the 
villagers better than the servant in charge of the 
goods could do. 

“Just before starting a companion offered himself 
for the journey. Mr. Thorp, who had formerly been 
in the 98th Regiment, and had recently been travel- 
ling about in Tibet, hearing that I was starting for 
Yarkand, volunteered to go with me. For the 
moment I accepted the offer, but afterwards, on 
consulting with friends who had the best means of 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. IC>5 


Judging, I was advised that it would be over rash 
to take a companion. I had spoken to the envoy- 
only about myself ; I had written to the King only 
in my own name ; and now, if a second English- 
man were to appear with me on the frontier, the 
suspicion of these Asiatics would be deeply 
aroused. Mr. Thorp, with great good-nature, 
gave in to these reasons, and consented to aban- 
don his intention of accompanying me — preferring 
to do that rather than risk the failure o my expe- 
dition. 

“ At this time I also heard a report that 
another Englishman, of the name of Hayward, was 
on his way up with the intention of attempting to 
reach Yarkand. I wrote him a letter on the 
chance of its catching him in Cashmere, urging the 
same reasons against his coming which had already 
prevailed with Mr. Thorp.” 

The progress of the expedition was at first very 
slow. On account of the difficulties of obtaining 
serviceable ponies from the country people, Mr. 
Shaw was six days in reaching Chagra, at the 
head of the Pangong Lake. He was obliged to use 
yaks as beasts of burden ; since in addition to the 
stock of goods, it was necessary to carry flour and 
parched barley for the men, and barley for the 
horses, for two months in advance, and to take 
along a small flock of sheep. A seal was placed 
upon the forelocks of all the ponies, to prevent 
their being exchanged for worse animals. The 
grain and flour were also sealed up in sacks, and 
arrangements were made for serving out on each 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


I66 

successive Sunday the provision for the ensuing 
week. The sacks were to be afterwards carefully 
re-sealed with Mr. Shaw’s own signet-ring. This 
was necessary in order to prevent pilfering and 
waste, which might prove fatal in such a desert as 
he was entering upon. 

While halting at Chagra, and making final pre- 
parations, a message came from the agent, Diw^n 
Baksh, instructing Mr. Shaw that he ought to be 
at Shahidoolla, on the Yarkand frontier, in one 
month from the time of writing. “ This (Chagra) is 
the place,” Mr. Shaw writes, where I had met Dr. 
Cayley on his return from exploring the new route 
onwards, while I had traversed that part of it which 
goes direct to British India without passing through 
Ladak. My journey hence to Ladak, and back 
again, had been a mere surplusage, caused by the 
necessity of making the arrangements detailed 
above. So from tlds point we resume the new 
direct route from India to Yarkand, which it is 
hoped will come into use more and more, to the 
exclusion of the old and more difficult route 
through Ladak, and over the Karakoram Pass, 
which merchants had hitherto been compelled to 
use by the Cashmere officials. 

“ Leaving Chagra, the last Tibetan encampment, 
on the 29th September, we crossed the high but 
very gradual and easy pass of Masimik on the 30th, 
and entered Chang-chenmo.* This district con- 
sists of open downs and plains at an elevation of 


* Chang-chenmo means “ Great -Northern (River.)” 


JOURNE y TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. 167 


about 14,000 or 15,000 feet. The small stream 
which drains it runs eventually westward into the 
great Shayok River, which is one of the sources 
of the Indus. At the head of the Shayok 
River, and separated from us by enormous moun- 
tains, is the Karakoram Pass (the old route into 
Yarkand). From the Karakoram Pass the Shayok 
runs nearly directly south towards Ladak, but, 
meeting a great range of mountains (one of the 
sides of the Ladak Valley), turns off abruptly 
westward, and runs for a dozen marches parallel 
to the Indus, and only separated from it by this 
great range, which it finally bursts through, joining 
the main Indus in Baltistan. 

“ Having thus traced down the Chang-chenmo 
River into the Shayok, and the Shayok into the 
Indus, we will resume our march, which takes us 
up the Chang-chenmo instead of down it. In this 
valley I stayed till the i6th of October ; waiting 
for the faithless Argoon with my remaining things 
from Ladak, and also giving time to my Moonshee, 
Diwan Bakhsh, to accomplish his negotiation at 
Yarkand. I employed my time in shooting wild 
yak (a magnificent sort of wild cattle, twice the 
size of the tame ones used in Tibet), and also in 
exploring the heads of the various valleys to dis- 
cover the easiest way northward. 

“ The character of the Chang-chenmo Valley is 
a wide, smooth, shingly bed, amidst which the 
stream meanders from side to side. It is bordered 
by small cliffs of clay or conglomerate, sometimes 
Several of them in tiers one above the other. 


i68 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


divided by wide terraces, especially at the em- 
bouchures of side streams. Above these terraces 
rise the barren mountain sides. The soil is 
absolutely bare.” 

While waiting for the goods and ponies from 
Leh, on the high plains of Chang-chenmo, Mr. 
Shaw first received a letter from the other traveller, 
Hayward, saying that he was sent by the Geogra- 
phical Society, and must continue his journey ; and, 
immediately afterwards, came the announcement 
that Hayward had actually arrived, and was 
encamped near him. On the 14th of October the 
two met. “We dined together,” says Shaw, “and 
talked over plans. He said that the Geographical 
Society had commissioned him to explore the 
route through Chitral (far away to the west on 
the borders of Kabul), and to try and reach the 
Pamir Steppes. The frontier war which had just 
broken out led him to try the more easterly 
route through Ladak, hoping to get permission at 
Yarkand to visit the Pamir Steppes. He proposed 
going in the character of an Afghan, having 
brought a complete Afghan dress, and having dis- 
carded most of the marks of European nationality, 
such as tents, &c. After some consultation, and 
seeing that I was going in the character of an 
Englishman, he determined to do so also. Indeed, 
it would require a most perfect acquaintance both 
with the Afghan language, and also with the 
Mohammedan religious ceremonial (an acquain- 
tance only to be obtained by years of expatriation), 
to P4.SS muster as an Afghan in a bigoted Mussul- 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. 1 69 


man country, which swarms with Afghan mer- 
chants and soldiers. 

“ The question then remained whether we should 
go together or not. On consideration it seemed 
better that I should appear on the frontier first 
and alone, in accordance with the announcement 
which I had sent on before. For if, after asking 
permission for one Englishman to enter, two were 
suddenly to appear together, suspicions would be 
aroused, and they would probably turn both of us 
back. It was determined, therefore, that I should 
go on before, trusting to the effect of my presents 
and letter for admission, while Hayward should 
follow shortly after in the hope that they would 
not turn him back after admitting me. If I saw an 
opportunity, I was to do what I could to obtain 
admission for him. This seemed the best solution 
of the difficulty caused by the unfortunate coinci- 
dence of our two attempts. 

“ Meanwhile, Hayward determined to explore the 
head of the Chang-chenmo Valley for a possibly 
better route in that direction.” 

On the i6th, Hayward started on his way, and 
Shaw on his, following the track of the Yarkand en- 
voy up a long ravine to the eastward. After some 
miles he came to a cliff rising thirty feet perpen- 
dicularly from the bed of the stream. Here Adolf 
Schlagintweit, on his way to Yarkand in 1857, had 
built a very steep and sloping path, but there was 
great difficulty in getting the ponies to th^ top. 
The same day the expedition met some of the 
Envoy’s men, returning with the horses he had 


170 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


hired. They gave Shaw a letter, without date, 
from his agent, saying that he would find somebody 
to receive him at Shahidoolla in a month from 
date ! 

The next day, following the dry bed of the 
stream, they reached the summit of the Pass. 
The view to the south, very broad and stormy, em- 
braced ranges of mountains, streaked with glaciers : 
to the north stretched a flat table-land, scarcely 
lower than the Pass itself, which was about 19,000 
feet above the sea. “Tashee (one of the attend- 
ants) and I walked on to keep ourselves warm, 
but, halting at sunset, had to sit and freeze for 
several hours before the things came up. The best 
way of keeping warm on such an occasion is to 
squat down, kneeling against a bank, resting your 
head on the bank, and nearly between your knees. 
Then tuck your overcoat in all around you, over 
head and all ; and if you are lucky, and there is 
not too much wind, you will make a little atmo- 
sphere of your own inside the covering which will 
be snug in comparison with the outside air. Your 
feet suffer chiefly, but ynu learn to tie yourself 
into a kind of knot, bringing as many surfaces of 
your body together as possible. I have passed 
whole nights in this kneeling position and slept 
well ; whereas I should not have got a wink had 
■ I been stretched at full length with such a scanty 
covering as a great coat. At last the camp arrived. 
We had brought a little fuel with us, and melted 
some ice for water. No grass at all for the cattle. 

“ The next day I breakfasted as usual while camp 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. I/I 

was breaking up. We travelled through the high 
downs till we reached a little plain, bounded on 
the further side by a sandy ridge, and then crossed 
this plain northwards. My Mussulman table-ser- 
vant, Kabeer, was here quite done up with the rarity 
of the air at this great elevation, so I gave him 
my pony to ride. We ascended the sandy slope 
at the end (almost ICX) feet high), and then saw 
another immense plain at our feet, about 400 feet 
lower than our own level. This has been christened 
by the Tibetans who have crossed it, ‘Lingzee- 
tang.’ To the east and west of it snowy mountains 
loomed in the distance, peering up over the edge 
of the plain like ships at sea that are hull-down. 
In front of us to the north, it was bounded far away 
by a long sandy ridge with the tops of smaller 
hills showing over it. Descending into this plain, 
we encamped about five miles out on it, under the 
lee of a small clayey rise. The soil is all clay, 
covered with flinty stones and rough agates. Not 
a vestige of grass ; but a little fuel in the shape 
of the lavender- plant, as it may be called. This 
consists of a little bunch of shoots, three or four 
inches high, looking like lavender. These little 
bunches are scattered about seven or eight yards 
apart, or more. They have a woody root, much 
more substantial than might be imagined from their 
insignificant appearance above ground ; and these 
roots are a perfect God-send to the traveller. His 
men go out with little picks and dig them up, but 
it takes several hours, even where they are most 
plentiful, before a man can collect enough to light 


1/2 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


a fire with. The shoots are sometimes eaten by 
famishing horses, and to a certain extent stay their 
hunger where there is no grass, as here. So late 
in the season there was no water anywhere on this 
plain, but we found a few patches of snow, and 
melted enough to cook with and drink. There was 
not, however, fuel enough to melt any for the horses 
to drink, and they had for many days to content 
themselves with munching snow to allay their 
thirst. 

“ The 20th brought a lovely morning to cross the 
plain. We marched straight for the opening be- 
tween two hills which I called the ‘dome ’ and the 
‘ chorten ’ (a common Tibetan monument), from 
their shapes. Kabeer, as yesterday, was constantly 
lagging behind and lying down. I stopped the 
caravan for him, and made him keep up. He said, 
as an excuse, that neither his father nor his grand- 
father had been in such a country. There was 
really no reason to lag, within a mile of the start, 
as the walking was good and there was no cold to 
speak of. Of course the great elevation has its 
effect. But my Guddee servants (the Guddeesare 
a hardy and primitive race of hill men, living on 
the Kangra Mountains, who make capital and 
faithful servants), were swearing at the flatness of 
the plain and wishing for mountains again. Lots 
of mirage, but no real signs of water. After several 
hours across the plain we came to the rising ground 
about lOO feet high. Another flat on the top, then 
a descent into the mouths or upper ends of a lot 
of rocky-sided valleys. Took one leading to the 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER, I73 


right of the ‘ dome,’ and camped about a mile 
down it near a rock. Fearfully cold wind : almost 
impossible to pitch the tents : a real hurricane, 
blowing the concentrated essence of east winds. 
Managed to get something to eat and get to bed. 
Third night of no grass for the cattle. We give 
the ponies barley, but the yaks refuse it.” 

The next day the expedition reached Lak-zung, 
or the Eagle’s Nest, a name given to the valley 
leading down northward from the lofty plateau 
they had just crossed. Although the elevation 
was still 16,000 feet above the sea, there was a 
little grass to be had for the famished animals. 
On the top of a lofty granite rock near the camp- 
ing-place, there was an ancient eagle’s nest, below 
which the ground was covered with the horns and 
bones of antelopes, killed by past generations of 
eagles to feed their young. Mr. Shaw saw a male 
Tibetan antelope, with lyre-shaped horns, but his 
hands were so numb that he was unable to pull 
the trigger. At this place he was detained four 
days, in order to rest and recruit the animals. 
The cold was intense and the winds were so fierce 
and keen that even the natives suffered from their 
e.xposure. It was impossible to write, as the ink 
in‘;tantly froze in the pen. 

On the 26th the expedition started again, and 
after a long day’s march, over a plain slightly 
descending to the northward, reached a small lake 
of ice, at a place called Tarldatt. Here Shaw was 
delayed another day, on account of his Hindoo 
servant, Kabeer, having lagged behind with some 


*74 


CENTRAL A6IA. 


of the animals. Both yaks and ponies now began 
to show signs of giving out, and the marches be- 
came very short and wearisome to all. Beyond 
Tarldatt extended the same desolate region, but 
with patches of grass in the hollows. The uplands 
were beds of salt or soda. “ Above is a very thin 
cake of earth, below which the foot sinks into the 
finest loose powdered soda, pure white, four or 
five inches deep. Below this is a sheet of impure 
common salt and saltpetre, which you can hear 
crack like thin ice under fresh snow, as you walk. 
In many places the coat of earth is absent, and 
the soda is hard and irregular. It was horrible 
walking for five hours over it ; although we saw 
our halting-place from the first, we never seemed 
to approach it.” 

Finally, on the 30th of October, the soda plain 
gave place to a narrow valley, bounded by a broken 
granite ridge on its north-eastern side. Beyond 
this ridge was the valley of the Karakash, one of 
the six rivers of Central Asia. It flows past the 
walls of Khoten, and finally loses itself in the 
sands of the great Desert of Lob. Over the hills 
beyond the river rose the high, snowy peaks of 
the range now called the Kuen-Liin by European 
geographers, which was first crossed by the 
brothers Hermann and Robert Schlagintweit. 

By this time several of the yaks had been left 
behind, but most fortunately, two which had been 
abandoned by the Yarkand envoy’s party, and had 
entirely recruited themselves on the meadows of 
the Karakash, were caught and made to do service. 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. 1/5 


The cattle all drank of the river, breaking the 
slushy ice with their feet. This was their first 
drink of water in fifteen days ; since leaving the 
Chang-chenmoo they had quenched their thirst 
with snow. 

“ Beyond the point we had now reached, none 
of my men had gone. We were thus quite ignorant 
where we should find grass or wood, or how long 
to make our marches. It often depends on the 
distance of the next grazing ground whether you 
will encamp after a certain number of hours’ 
marching, or continue. This is especially the case 
with exhausted cattle, for if the next place is near, 
it will not hurt them to go on, but if far, you 
would for their sake rest contented with your 
progress for that day. But we now had to do 
without such facilities. I had to feel the way by 
riding on ahead of the caravan, and towards even- 
ing surveying the route before us from some high 
point. The Karakash here has a broad valley 
quite flat and half a mile wide. The dry and 
shingly bed of what is sometimes a stream occu- 
pies the centre, with low terraces on either side, 
the barren mountains rising north and south of 
the valley, which itself runs westward. Anxiously 
I looked forward as each new vista opened out ; 
every side-valley I examined with care. Imagine 
my horror, as the afternoon advanced, to find that 
this sterile soil did not supply even the lavender- 
plant for fuel, which had not hitherto failed us. 
Grass I entirely despaired of finding, and the bed 
of the stream was dry ! The three great requisites 


176 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


for a traveller’s camping-ground were all absent — 
fuel, grass, and water ! Evening was beginning 
to close when I reached a high bed of shingle and 
debris which issued from a ravine on the north, and 
closed the view down the main valley. I mounted 
this to get a view, and at the lower end of a small 
plain I distinguished a dark strip of ground. Hope 
began to revive, but I could hardly believe that I 
saw bushes ! However, my glass showed them 
distinctly, and, what was more, there was a glim- 
mer of white ice visible amongst them. I pushed 
on, and after a seemingly interminable stretch of 
level in the valley I reached the first bushes that 
I had seen for a month. There was a horrible 
wind blowing up the valley, but I picked out a 
sheltered spot under a bank, collected a lot of dry 
branches for a fire (how often had I shivered and 
longed for this moment in the cold plains above !) 
and sat down to wait. After waiting an hour, I 
began to fear that the caravan might pass me in 
the dark, so I commenced shouting. No reply. 
At last my pony showed signs of hearing some- 
thing on the opposite side. I rode across, and 
presently was answered. They had actually passed 
me. Now, however, it was all right. I took them 
to my sheltered nook, and presently we had such 
a glorious blaze as gladdened our hearts. We 
found that the ice I had seen was on the banks of 
a stream of water," which came in through a narrow 

* Mr. Hayward afterwards struck the head of this stream about 
eiglity miles up, and followed it down to this spot. He proved it to 
be the real head of the Karakash River, and that it offers a better 
•oule than that which 1 had taken across the high plains. — S/iaw. 


JOURNEY TO THE KARAKASH RIVER. I77 

gorge from the left or south side of the valley, and 
filled the hitherto dry bed of the main valley. I 
had thoughts of exploring up this gorge the next 
day, as its stream seemed more important than 
that which I had come down. But it was neces- 
sary for the cattle’s sake to push on to some grass.” 
The n-ext da / the temperature rose to 40®, and 
the Karakash flowed freely between borders of ice. 
The blood of man and beast, which had almost con- 
gealed in the icy winds of the terrible heights, began 
to thaw again ; brushwood for fuel continued abun- 
dant, and grass increased until it became a thick 
turf. For five or six days more they followed the 
valley, until a break in the mountain-range to the 
northward (a spur of the Kuen-Liin) announced 
the point where the Karakash turns eastward and 
descends to the warm plains of Khoten. Every 
day some of the yaks left by the Envoy’s party 
were picked up, until there were nine fresh animals 
to replace those which had fallen by the way. 
The physical difficulties in the way of the expedi- 
tion were now over, but the more serious moral 
obstacles were yet to be overcome. 


CHAPTER XI. 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 

O HAW’S account of his arrival at the frontier of 
^the Yarkand country, and his reception there, is 
so animated and picturesque that it must be given 
in his own words, written on the spot : 

“ I am now writing in my tent, which is pitched 
on the flat roof of a little fort on the Karakash 
River. It consists of a lot of little rooms, 
surrounding a court-yard, into which they open. 
A little parapet of sun-dried bricks with loopholes 
for muskets runs round the outer edge of this flat 
roof, while at the corners little round towers, also 
loopholed, command the four sides. This primi- 
tive fort stands in the centre of a little shingly 
plain. The Karakash, a small trout-stream, runs 
past a few hundred yards off, fringed with low 
bushes, while all around rise the barren rocky 
mountains. Inside is a more cheerful scene. A 
group of Moghul* soldiers are sitting round a fire 
It one end of the court-yard, which is not above 
fifteen yards long. Their long matchlock guns hang 


* Moghul is the name given in India to natives of Central Asia. 
I learnt afterwards to call them, as they called themselves, “ Toork.” 



KIRGHIZ MOTHER. 





DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 


179 


from the wall behind them, twelve in number ; 
three or four high-peaked saddles are ranged above 
them. The dress of the Moghuls consists of a 
long robe fastened round the waist, with very wide 
trowsers below. The officers’ robes are made of a 
stuff half silk, half cotton, with large patterns in 
very bright colors. Some of the men wear dull 
red Yarkandee cloth, some of them English printed 
calico, and some white felt ; there is no uniformity. 
Some tuck the long robe into the wide trowsers, 
some wear a second robe, open in front and loose 
at the waist, over all. The chiefs have on their 
heads a conical cap, with a turban tied round it. 
The men mostly have lambskin caps. One of the 
two officers is now fitting a fresh match into his 
gun ; the rest are looking on, or cooking their 
food in one of the rooms. Meanwhile they talk a 
language harsh and guttural, in which the conso- 
nants are constantly clashing. My ‘ Bhots ’ from 
Ladak sit reverentially in the distance, rubbing the 
skins of the sheep we have killed by the way. The 
Moghuls treat them kindly, but as if they were 
animals of some sort, monkeys for instance. They 
call them Tibetee, a name which I have hitherto 
heard used only by the Europeans. My Indian 
servants keep out of the way ; they don’t know 
what to make of our hosts, and are more than half 
afraid of them. As for me, they and I are the 
greatest of friends. In a short time, I shall be going 
down to entertain the officers at my four o’clock 
tea. We sit over my fire, and drink an endless 
succession of cups of tea together, eating my bis- 


i8o 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


cuits, and trying to converse. Now, as three days 
ago, my knowledge of Toorkee was confined to the 
w'ord ‘ yok,’ no, which I had picked up in Atkin- 
son’s book, and as they know no Persian, and, of 
course, no Hindostanee, we have to make up by 
smiles and signs for our lack of common words. 
The rifles, the watch, the compass, the revolver, 
are, unfortunately, e.xhausted subjects now, so we 
come to actual conversation. I have picked up a 
lot of Toorkee (there is no master of languages like 
the absence of interpreters), and we talk about 
peace and war, geography and history ; what 
could the most skilful linguists do more } I will 
tell you presently what new's I have gathered from 
them. At first their great delight was to get me 
to fire my breech-loader. They used to put a 
mark about thirty paces off, and were greatly 
astonished at my always hitting it. They are just 
like public schoolboys, of boisterous spirits, but 
perfectly well bred. They wall clap me on the 
back, and call me a good fellow when I send for 
more sugar for their tea ; but wdien I pass their 
fire, they will all rise and bow^ with their hand on 
their heart ; this is their mode of salaaming. The 
man who clapped me on the back surprised me the 
next minute by stroking his beard with both hands, 
and exclaiming, ‘Ameen, Allaho-Akbcr ’ (Amen, 
God is great). All the assembly chimed in with 
Allaho-Akber, solemnly stroking their beards. 
This w'as ‘ grace after meat.’ 

“ As day dawns, I hear one of them intoning the 
‘ Arise and pray, arise and pray, prayer is better 


DETEh^TION AT THE FRONTIER. 


i8l 


than sleep.’ Yesterday two of the soldiers had 
their hands tied in front of them, their clothes were 
stripped from their shoulders, and they were fero- 
ciously lashed by one of the officers with his whip, 
till they were covered with blood. My servants, 
who saw this, asked the reason ; they were told it 
was because the men did not get up early to say 
their prayers. The same evening one of these two 
men was singing Toorkee songs, to which accom- 
paniment two others were dancing before the fire. 
I joined the party, and was fed with Ydrkand 
walnuts by one of the officers. The two dancers 
wound in and out, keeping time with a beat of the 
feet and a chasse, and slowly waving their arms. 
When tired, they bowed to the assembly and sat 
down. 

“ Meanwhile, you don’t know whether I have 
been taken prisoner in a foray by Yakoob Beg’s 
soldiers, or how I came to find myself shut up in a 
fort with a dozen of them ; so I must begin again 
from where I left off. 

“After a wearisome march of six days, alto- 
gether, down the same valley, without any incidents 
worth notice, on the morning of the sixth day, 
shortly after leaving our camp (which was in a 
fine meadow of really luxuriant grass, produced 
by the numerous arms into which the stream 
branched), we came upon a spot where a large 
flock of sheep had evidently been penned. This 
sign of the former presence of men put us all on 
the qui vive, as we were utterly ignorant what 
reception we might meet with should we come 


i 82 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


across any of the wandering tribes of shepherds that 
frequent these mountains. All we knew was that 
certain nomads, calling themselves Kirghiz, had 
formerly rendered the more westerly road to Yar- 
kand unsafe by their depredations (the name ot 
Kirghiz Jungle is still retained by the spot which 
they haunted), and that tribes of the same name 
occasionally brought their sheep up the valley 
of the Karakash. However, the sheepfold was ot 
last year, and did not denote any recent visit. 
But later in the day, as I rode on before the cara- 
van, the fresh print of a man’s foot struck my eye. 
It was on a soft piece of earth, after which the path 
was hard and stony. I was thus unable at once to 
verify my impression, and thought I must have 
been deceived. A little further on, however, the 
footmark was again visible by the side of a horse’s 
track. I co-uld not help laughing as I thought ol 
Robinson Crusoe and his footprint. Mine, how- 
ever, was not such a portentous sign, although it 
was sufficient to inspire caution ; for there was 
every possibility that, if the Kirghiz were in force, 
they might attempt to plunder us, and on none ot 
my servants could I depend in a scrimmage, even 
to load for me ; at the least, our journey might be 
interrupted. Therefore, when we came to the end 
of the open plain in which we were travelling, and 
the valley narrowed at a projecting point, I halted 
the caravan, and went on myself on foot to spy. 
Scrambling over the hill, I soon came to a ridge 
which commanded a view down the valley. Care- 
fully, as when stalking game, I raised my head. 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 183 

and a minute’s inspection through my glass showed 
me a grassy plain, sprinkled with bushes, and in 
the middle a Kirghiz ‘ yourt.’ There was no mis- 
taking it after reading Atkinson’s books. A circu- 
lar structure, with a low dome-shaped roof, covered 
with a dirty-white material, evidently felt. Around 
it were tethered four or five horses and yaks, while 
the glass showed a man in a long tunic and high 
boots, busied in attendance on the cattle. From 
the centre of the roof a light cloud of smoke was 
escaping. 

“ I can’t describe to you my sensations at be- 
holding this novel scene. I felt that I had now 
indeed begun my travels. Now, at length, my 
dreams of Toorks and Kirghiz were realized, and 
I was coming into contact with tribes and nations 
hitherto entirely cut off from intercourse with 
Europeans. I drew carefully back and rejoined my 
caravan. After a short consultation, we deter- 
mined to go and encamp alongside of the yourt ; 
as we must pass the Kirghiz, and our halting short 
of them, though so near, would be ascribed to fear 
if they discovered our camp. Loading all the rifles, 
four in number, we set out again. I was amused 
to see my Hindostanee table-servant Kabeer, who 
had hitherto caused endless trouble by lagging 
behind, now, with scared face, keep himself close 
to my horse’s tail, as I rode on in advance of the 
caravan. The Kirghiz was so busy at his occupa- 
tion that he did not see me till I was within twenty 
j-^ards of his yourt. At the sound of my voice, he 
turned round, and, apparently without astonish- 


184 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


merit, came forward smilingly to meet me. A second 
man now came out of the yourt. We could only 
at first say ‘ salam,’ and smile at one another ; but 
he told me that he was a Kirghiz, and we thought 
we understood from him that there were some 
soldiers of the King waiting for me at Shahidoolla. 
This would account for his non-surprise at what 
must have been our strange appearance to him. 
Both the Kirghiz were quite young fellows, appa- 
rently brothers, with fine rosy complexions, about 
as dark as a bronzed Englishman. A woman 
presently appeared, but kept in the background. 
She was rather pretty, and wore a strip of white 
cotton-cloth wound round her head, quite evenly, 
to a considerable thickness, like a roll of white 
tape. A long streamer of the same cloth, orna- 
mented with a colored pattern, hung down her 
back. Her dress was a long tunic, girt round the 
waist like the men’s, and reaching nearly to the 
ankles, which displayed a pair of high red leather 
boots. The men’s tunics or robes were shorter, 
and their head-dress a fur cap with ear-lappets. 

“ Here I encamped ; the Kirghiz good-humor- 
edly assisting in the erection of the tent, lighting 
a fire for me, &c. Presently arrived a large flock 
of sheep, with another Kirghiz, in a long sheep an J 
ibex skin robe. My Guddee servants, themselves 
shepherds by birth, estimated the flock at over a 
thousand. The sheep resemble those of parts of 
Afghanistan, having large flat tails. When the 
lambs had been brought out, and given to their 
mothers, the three Kirghiz retired into the yourt. 




KIRGIITZ MAN 


DETENTION AD THE FRONTIER. 1 85 

Thence they emerged again, and came up to me 
bringing a present of a sheep and a huge skinful of 
butter. These were most thankfully accepted, and 
the sheep immediately killed ; the butter was ex- 
cellent. I gave them, in return, some English 
powder, with a looking-glass for the young lady 
at which they were delighted. 

“ The next morning, very early, I sent off two 
of my Ladak men down the valley to Shahidoolla, 
which the Kirghiz said was near. Shahidoolla is 
the place where I had appointed that a messenger 
should meet me with a letter from Diwan Bakhsh 
(the Mussulman whom I had sent on before me to 
ask permission of the King for me to enter his 
country). There is no village ; it is merely a 
camping-ground on the regular old route between 
Ladak and Yarkand, and the first place where I 
should strike that route. Four years ago, while 
the troubles were still going on in Toorkistan, the 
Maharaja of Cashmere sent a few soldiers and 
workmen across the Karakoram range (his real 
boundary), and built a small fort at Shahidoolla. 
This fort his troops occupied during two summers; 
but last year, when matters became settled, and 
the whole country united under the King of Yar- 
kand, these troops were withdrawn. 

“ However, leaving such matters, I will continue 
my story. While I was at breakfast, arrived two 
Moghul soldiers from Shahidoolla. We could not 
converse, but I looked at their guns, and gave them 
some tea ; after this they departed. In the after- 
noon, three other Moghul horsemen arrived, dressed 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


1 86 

in finer clothes, consisting oflong robes of bright 
colors, one above the other, wide trowsers, and 
turbans tied over pointed silk caps. I made them 
sit down, and gave them tea (an unfailing part ot 
the ceremony). The Kirghiz (with whom our ac- 
quaintance was but a few hours older) acted as 
interpreters, by signs and by means of a few words 
ofToorkee which I had picked up from them. 
They made me exhibit all my curiosities, the 
breech-loading rifles, the revolver, the spy-glass, 
the watch, &c., &c. When these prodigies had 
been duly wondered at, they explained to me that 
one of the three was going to ride off immediately 
to Yarkand to announce my arrival to the King, 
and that I must give him a token of some kind, or 
a letter. I accordingly wrote a short note to his 
majesty in English (distrusting my Persian writ- 
ing), and, having put it in a pink envelope, sealed 
with my ring (bearing my full name in Persian 
characters), delivered it to the messenger. Imme- 
diately all three mounted, and started off at a 
gallop, bearing my best wishes for their speedy 
journey. 

“ This was Sunday, the 8th November. Next 
day I halted again, to allow the yaks to catch us 
up. These animals, carrying our supply of flour, 
&c., were, as usual, a day or two behindhand, and 
the week’s allowance of food was now due to the 
whole party. In the afternoon, the yaks having 
arrived, the flour was distributed ; and on Tuesday 
morning we marched down to Shahidoolla. Here 
we were received by two of our friends of Sunday, 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 


187 


who were in command of a detachment of about a 
dozen soldiers. We were most civilly treated, the 
best rooms in the fort given up to us (you must re- 
member the fort much resembles an English pig- 
stye, and not picture to yourself apartments of 
Oriental luxury). I was told that they had been 
stationed here by the King nearly a month ago, 
to await my arrival, with orders to treat me as an 
honored guest, and see that I wanted for nothing. 
Before proceeding further, however, I must await 
the orders of the King in answer to the news of 
my actual arrival. The messenger, they said, 
would reach Yarkand on relays of horses in three 
days, and return in the same time, so that I should 
be detained about a week. I resigned myself to 
this fate, and during the next day or two tried to 
improve the occasion by learning a lot of Toorkee 
words. It was really rather amusing to work out 
the meaning of words, and build quite a vocabu- 
lary out of a most slender beginning. Men and 
officers all joined in e.xplaining their meaning, and 
guessing at mine ; they showed considerable 
cleverness in this, and I progressed rapidly. 

“ By Thursday, however, I begun to get very 
tired of my detention, and proposed a wild-yak 
hunt. I understood that these animals were to 
be found within a day’s march of Shahidoolla. 
Allowing a day for hunting, we should be back 
just in time for the return of the messenger. Ne.xt 
morning the two officers and three or four men and 
I started to ride up one of the side valleys. We 
ate our mid-day-meal together (consisting of Var- 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


1 88 

kandee biscuits), and were so fortunate as to espy 
a herd of sixteen wild cattle shortly after noon. 
Leaving our horses at the proposed camping- 
ground, we started to stalk our game. But a 
horseman was seen galloping towards us ; the glass 
showed that he was a iNIoghul, and as he ap- 
proached, he shouted to us to come back. When 
he reached us, he announced that some great man 
from Yarkand had arrived to fetch me ; that he had 
turned back the cattle, carrying my tent, &c., and 
we must return at once. 

“ Delighted at the news, I mounted, and away 
we galloped down the valley, reaching Shahidoolla 
in less than half the time we had taken coming. 
At the gate a soldier in fine clothes was mounting 
guard (a thing they had not done before, nor, in 
fact, did they do it afterwards). When I entered 
the court-yard, a dignified Moghul, in a long silken 
robe, and wearing a silver-mounted sabre, was sit- 
ting in solitary grandeur on a carpet before the fire. 
He did not rise at my approach, but motioned to 
me to sit down by his side. This I did, and tried 
to address him in Persian. He shook his head, and 
after this seemed to pay no further attention to me, 
talking loudly with the others, who were now 
allowed to sit down on the other side of the fire. I 
was rather nettled at this treatment, and presently 
got up and walked to the other end of the court- 
yard, where I had another fire lit. As I rose, the 
great man got up, and made signs to me that he 
was going to say his prayers (by putting his hands 
behind his ears, which is a gesture frequently 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 1 89 

repeated during their devotions). Sure enough, he 
said them three times within the next hour. I 
suppose during the journey he had been unable to 
perform his full number daily. 

“ My first friends saw that I was displeased, and, 
after a whispered consultation, one of them came 
and sat down by my fire to explain matters. This 
officer, he said, was a very great man, who always 
sat before the King. He had been sent to meet 
•IS in the capacity of Mihmandar (or welcomer of 
guests), to show me honor, and supply all my 
wants. Presently we discovered that an old man 
who had come with the Mihmandar from Sanjoo 
(a frontier town), had some knowledge of Tibetan. 
Conversation immediately became easy, for I had 
with me a Tibetan interpreter named Tashee, a 
most useful fellow. The great man sent to say 
that he wished to pay me a visit in private, if I 
would spread a carpet in my room. The carpet 
was accordingly spread and a candle lit, and in 
came the Mihmandar. At this visit, and at a still 
more formal one which he paid me the next morn- 
ing after breakfast, he loaded me with civilities of 
an Eastern sort, presenting me with about a dozen 
trays of fruits of different kinds (pomegranates, 
dried raisins, ‘ Pistaehio’ nuts, &c.), together with 
a loaf of Russian sugar, while a couple of sheep, 
after much pushing and shoving, were made to 
show their faces at the dqor. Many complimentary 
speeches followed in the name of his King. I was 
to have no trouble or care ; whatever I wished for, I 
had only to mention ; he would procure anything 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


190 

I desired. All his men and horses were at my 
disposal. I replied that my chief feeling was 
gratitude at the condescension of the King in 
sending such a very great man to meet me ; and 
my chief care was at the inconvenience which he 
was suffering in coming to such a desolate spot. 
Compliments, I believe, can never be too fulsome 
for Orientals ; they require them strong and 
highly flavored. 

“ Then followed a series of questions as to my 
profession, whether I was a soldier or a merchant, 
the number of horseloads of goods that were fol- 
lowing me, when they would arrive, how many loads 
I had with me, what they could consist of, as they 
were not merchandise, &c., &c. Every now and 
then the series of questions was broken to assure 
me that, in any case, I need be under no appre- 
hensions, for the King’s orders were to welcome 
me, whoever I might be. I thought to myself, 
you must be very guileless yourselves to imagine 
that I could be caught in such a trap. If I were 
assuming a false character, it is not likely that 
such assurances, coupled with such anxious 
questioning, would induce me to reveal myself 
without disguise. As, however, I had nothing to 
conceal, my only fear was lest my servants, with 
Indian abhorrence of truth, should tell unnecessary 
lies in my absence ; for I felt sure they would be 
carefully cross-examined. When, therefore, the 
great man had taken his leave (this time he politely 
motioned to me not to rise from my seat), I called 
them all together, and pointed out to them that 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. I9I 

we were all in the same boat, to sink or to swim, 
and that our success and safety depended greatly 
on our present conduct. I therefore cautioned 
them against talking more than they could help 
about our own affairs ; but what they did say must 
be the exact truth. Thus only could we be sure of 
all telling the same story when separately ques- 
tioned, and of not being caught giving different 
versions. Of my Guddees I have not much fear, 
but the others are by birth and education liars. 
When doubtful of the intentions of a questioner, or 
afraid of vague ill-consequences, they naturally 
seek for safety in untruth, as a wild beast does in 
darkness. It is a simple and artless precaution, 
singularly inappropriate in our present circum- 
stances. The Moghuls are devoured with suspi- 
cion. The unheard-of event of an Englishman 
arriving on their borders seems to have put them 
out of all their calculations. Not a day passes 
but one or more horsemen arrive and depart 
with orders or messages. Never has this road 
been so much trodden, never has Shahidoolla wit- 
nessed such animation. 

“ And this reminds me of my chief source of 
anxiety, the incubus that constantly weighs upon 
me. If their suspicions and fears are thus excited 
by the arrival of one Englishman who had an- 
nounced his visit and explained his intentions long 
before, what will they not imagine when he is 
suddenly joined by a fellow-countryman without 
ostensible object, though really bent upon survey- 
ing their country ? Yet this I am daily expecting. 


193 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ I have been very much delayed on the road by 
the badness of my cattle, and I am now being 
detained day after day at Shahidoolla. Hayward 
must have been delayed also, or he would have 
arrived before this. His sudden appearance would 
have the worst effect on the minds of the Moghuls, 
and I should come in for my share of extra suspi- 
cion as having arranged the meeting. As one of 
my Guddees says, their first thought will be, 
‘ How many more Feringhees (Franks) are con- 
cealed in these valleys.^’ The simultaneous 
approach of two Englishmen to Yarkand (never 
before visited by an Englishman) will at once be 
magnified into the advance of the pioneers of an 
invading force. 

“ Revolving this in my mind, and taking counsel 
with my Guddee servants, I came to the conclusion 
that the Moghuls should be told that another 
Englishman was near. Thus they would not be 
able to reproach me with practising conceal- 
ment ; for they would certainly find out from his 
interpreter that we had met before. I therefore 
called in Tashee, explained the matter to him, 
and told him to find an opportunity during conver- 
sation with the old man of Sanjoo of mentioning 
that we had met an Englishman shooting wild yak 
at a distance of twenty days back from Shahidoolla. 
This did not please my interpreter at all ; he 
could not persuade himself that the safest way 
out of a difficulty could be to tell the truth. My 
authority, if not my arguments, prevailed however, 
and he was soon reconciled to his task by the 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 


193 


congenial labor of contriving a good opening for 
his tale. I let him do this as he liked, and he 
succeeded admirably. Talking of shooting, and 
enumerating the game I had shot, he said that 
Englishmen were mad after sport ; that one of 
them had come ever so many days beyond Laduk 
to shoot. As I expected, they jumped at the 
news. Tashee was asked whether the Sahib was 
coming any further, but professed utter ignorance 
as to his intentions. 

“ The subject was not referred to by the Mih- 
mandar when I paid him a visit in the afternoon ; 
but two horsemen were sent off to bring news of 
the Englishman, if he were to be found, and to 
hurry on my caravan, should they meet with it. I 
think they are rather anxious to test my veracity 
in the matter of the caravan, though they profess 
to be only anxious lest their King should blame 
them for not bringing the whole of my property 
with me. 

“I have succeeded in breaking the ice of my 
Mihmandar’s haughtiness. We were sitting on the 
roof, surveying the mountains through my glass 
(the old man of Sanjoo asked me gravely whether 
it would show him his two sons, who are probably 
some ten days’ march distant, on their return from 
Ladak). 1 unscrewed one of the lenses, and as 
there was a bright sun, I quickly set fire to a piece 
of tinder. This was quite a prodigy. Amid many 
ejaculations of ‘Tobah ! tobah !’ (Repentance ! re- 
pentance !) the Mihmandar was taught to do the 
same himself. Immediately he loudly shouted for 


194 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the whole garrison to come and see ; they crowded 
up the ladder. His next attempt was, unfortu- 
nately, a failure ; but he soon succeeded in burn- 
ing a big hole in his robe. This was charming. I 
was immediately challenged to a shooting match. 
We fired a lot of shots at a mark 200 yards off, 
which I and my Guddee servants alone succeeded 
in hitting. He fired several rounds from my rifle ; 
his own matchlock twice refused to go off until he 
had removed it from his shoulder. 

“ This morning he has amused himself cutting 
the mustachios of half the men in the place with 
my scissors. All orthodox Mussulmans only let 
the m.oustache grow at the two corners of the mouth, 
removing the hair between ; they also shave the 
whole head. My Hindostanee servant, who has 
most heretically allowed his hair to grow long, as 
all Indian Mussulmans do, had his upper lip trim- 
med by the Mihmandar himself, who then sent him 
out with a sepoy, to remove his too luxuriant locks. 
I found him sitting with a rueful face under the 
wall of the fort, while a Moghul standing over him 
triumphantly wielded the shears. Great was the 
laughter and applause, in which I cordially joined, 
for the neatness of my servant’s appearance v.as 
decidedly improved.” 

On the 17th of November, the messenger who 
had been sent on to Yarkand to announce Shaw’s 
arrival at Shahidoolla, returned. He was accom- 
panied by one of the caravan-men, named Jooma, 
who had been sent with Diwdn Baksh, Shaw’s 
agent, to prepare for his coming. As this man 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 


195 


Jooma spoke Hindostanee, Shaw learned immedi- 
ately that the pink English letter he had sent to 
the King, on reaching the frontier, had been for- 
warded from Yarkand to His Majesty, who was 
then in the mountains, four days’ march beyond 
Kashghar. The messenger who carried the letter 
had not waited for a reply, but had immediately 
returned from Yarkand, bringing large supplies of 
flour, barley and other articles. The answer of 
the King would be forwarded by a messenger tra- 
velling day and night, as soon as it reached Yar- 
kand, and might be expected at Shahidoolla in two 
or three days more. Shaw also received a long 
letter from his agent, and a short note from the 
Envoy whom the former accompanied, but, as 
they were written in a close Persian running-hand, 
he was unable to read them. Nevertheless, his 
mind was easy ; for there was no private signal of 
danger, which he had instructed his agent to give, 
by cutting off one of the corners of the letter. 

The man Jooma reported that he had overheard 
a conversation of some of the native officials at 
Yarkand, in which they agreed that Shaw would 
probably be allowed to visit the King, Mohammad 
Yakoob, but that he would be made to wait at the 
frontier some time before receiving permission to 
proceed. Shaw thereupon decided to wait two or 
three days longer, and then, if no permission came, 
to send off another messenger to the King. The 
approach of Hayward, which was already reported 
to the native authorities, gave him great uneasi- 
ness, as the appearance of another Englishman at 


196 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


this critical stage of the negotiations might easily 
arouse their suspicions. On the l8th, Shaw writes: 

“ Towards evening tne Mihmandar came and sat 
down by my fire. After other conversation, I in- 
troduced the subject of my business with the King ; 
for, on reflection, it struck me that, if I waited till 
orders came for me to stay at Shahidoolla before I 
announced this, it would be thought that my object 
was thereby to escape from detention on the fron- 
tier. As soon as the Mihmandar understood what 
I said, he at once promised to send off" a man in 
the morning, who should go direct to the King 
with the news. I trust that I have been wise in 
taking this step. 

“ I had further conversations with Jooma. To- 
day, at his suggestion, I have assumed the full 
Moghul dress — high black riding-boots, an inner 
tunic of cotton-silk (given me by the Afghan tea- 
merchants at Ladak), a long scarf round the waist ; 
over this I wear a light brown cloth robe, open and 
loose, while one of the red Cashmere shawls comes 
in splendidly for a turban. I flatter myself that I 
look like a dignified Toork ; my appearance pro- 
duces an evident effect on the Mihmandar ; he is 
several pegs humbler in manner to-day. 

“Jooma says the King is in the habit of going 
about quite alone, a la Haroon-ar-Rasheed. He 
has several times been taken up as a vagabond by 
his own police. On these occasions, he tries the 
probity of his capturer by offering a bribe for re- 
lease. Those who accept the bribe are seized and 
brought before him next morning, when the least 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. 


197 


punishment they suffer is a severe scourging. On 
the contrary, those who have resisted the tempta- 
tion are honored and promoted.” 

The very next day news came that Hayward’s 
approach had been announced, and that he had 
declared liimself to be engaged in Shaw’s service. 
The Mihmandar, whose suspicions were imme- 
diately aroused, was about to send off an officer to 
recall the messenger whom he had dispatched the 
day before ; but the man Jooma declared that 
Shaw had nothing whatever to do with the other 
Englishman, beyond meeting him on a shooting 
excursion. Afterwards the Mihmandar went to 
Shaw’s tent, whereupon the latter made the same 
statement to him, and he appeared to be satisfied. 
The same afternoon eight horse-loads of provisions 
arrived from Yarkand, with fifteen sheep. 

Two days after this Hayward arrived, and the 
Mihmandar, whose business was to visit and ques- 
tion him, came to Shaw to procure an interpreter. 
Shaw gave him the man Jooma, upon whose tact 
and fidelity he believed he could rely, and the 
result proved the wisdom of his choice. Hayward 
began by stating that he was Shaw’s partner, 
which Jooma refused to repeat to the Mihmandar, 
but made his own statement, in accordance with 
Shaw’s instructions. The same evening the latter 
sent a note to Hayward privately, through Jooma, 
explaining his situation, and urging him to give up 
the design of going on to Yarkand. The predica- 
ment was very embarrassing ; but Shaw clearly 
had the start of Hayward, in all the arrangements 


198 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


which he had made in advance, and could not 
allow his dearly-bought chances to be imperilled. 

On the 2 1 St, good news arrived. The last mes- 
senger sent towards Yarkand returned, bringing 
a letter from the King, which he met at the foot of 
the Sanjoo Pass. It directed the Mihmandar to pay 
every attention to Shaw, as he valued his head, 
until the arrival of the brother of the Governor of 
Yarkand, who was coming to escort the traveller 
into the country. Shaw writes, on the 22nd : 

“ Our delight is unbounded at the prospect of 
getting away from here. All the horses were 
brought up and shod, and four were sent to the 
Kirghiz camp to bring provisions for the great man 
and his party. Late in the afternoon, the Mihman- 
dar and Jooma went over to see Hayward. On their 
return, the greater part of my guard left the fort 
and established themselves near his tent. I do 
not know what this means, as I cannot get hold of 
Jooma, who is also over there. 

“ An answer came privately from Hayward, ex- 
plaining that he must at any rate try to get in this 
way. He wants very much to see me. I wrote 
back to advise him not to try and see me, but if 
there were any necessity actually, then to speak to 
my Mihmandar, and say he wants to give me a 
message for the King. 

“ Before my letter reached Hayward, he did 
what I recommended in it, not having received my 
further caution not to do so unless absolutely ne- 
cessary. The Mihmandar came to me in the morn- 
ing, and said, ‘ The other Sahib wants to speak 


DETENTION AT THE FRONTIER. IQg 

to you ; what are your orders ?’ I answered that 
there was no advantage in our meeting, and that I 
had rather not ; what was his advice ? He replied, 
‘ I am here to obey your orders, not to hamper you 
in any way.’ I then said, ‘ But give me your advice 
as a friend.’ He said, ‘ Well, then, I think you are 
quite right.’ Finally, I said, ‘ Ask the Sahib what 
he wants to talk to me about ; if it is of real 
importance, I will meet him for five minutes in your 
presence.’ All this I did, so as to give Hayward a 
chance of taking my advice, and not insisting on 
seeing me ; while, if he thinks it quite necessary, 
he can give the reason which I suggested in my 
letter.” 

By the 24th of November, Shaw began to be ex- 
ceedingly weary of waiting. In his journal of that 
day he says ; “ I called in the Mihmandar, and 
said I could not stand it any longer, but should go 
off shooting, or else march down to the nearest 
Kirghiz encampment. He tried to pacify me, and 
finally agreed that, if no news of the Governor’s 
brother arrived during the next two days, we would 
begin marching northwards on the third. He 
came back again shortly, with a peace-offering of 
fruit. While we were discussing it, an arrival was 
announced. He rushed out, and presently came 
back again crying, ‘ Moobarak ! Moobarak ! ’ ‘ Good 
news has come ! You ar^ to start to-morrow to 
meet the great Mihmandar, who has brought his 
camp as far as the Sanjoo Pass ! ’* Immediately 


* The letter which Jooma brought from my secretary is dated 9th 
November. The first news of my approach had reached Yirkand 


200 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


all was bustle and preparation. All the servants 
are as pleased as myself, at leaving this dull spot, 
and starting again for the goal of our journey.” 

two days before, and my first Mihmandar was sent off at once. 
Joonia started on the 9th. Thus news of my approach reached 
Yarkand on the 7th. If it was not a mere foundalionless report, 
they must have had spies out as far as the head of the Karakash, or 
further ; for I myself did not reach the Ivirghiz camp till the 7th, 
the very day that news of me reached Yarkand. 

“ I afterwards ascertained the following facts. WTien the first hint 
of ray intention of coming reached Yarkand, a party of soldiers was 
sent to Shahidoolla to stop me. When I got nearer, the Milimandax 
was sent for the same purpose, although he amused me with pro- 
mises of teing allowed to proceed. Thirdly, Jooma was sent with a 
lot of provisions and the secretary’s letter (in which, as it appeared 
afterwards, I was told to go back to Ladak). Jooma was to conduct 
me back, and the provisions were sent, lest I should make the want 
of them an e.xcuse for not returning. It was hoped that I should be 
tired of waiting, and go back of my own accord. Hence Jooma’s 
hints that I might perhaps be kept at Shahidoolla for two or three 
months. 

“ Lastly, when my secretary had produced my letter and presents, 
the Yoozbashee was sent to meet me ; but he delayed so long that 
it was evident they would have been very glad had I taken their 
first hint and gone back. 

“ From this I conclude that, had an Englishman presented himself 
on their border without explanation and without previous arrange- 
ment, he would have been simply turned back ; as, in fact, I was at 
the fint.” 



IXTEIUOK OI-' A TUIIKOMAN TKNT. 



CHAPTER XII. 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 

HE permission to advance having arrived, and 


so much more promptly than might have been 
anticipated, Shaw set out from Shahidoolla in high 
spirits. “ On the 25th of November,” he says, 
“ we made a long march down the Karakash. We 
saw the entrance of two valleys leading to passes 
over into Toorkistan, the second being that of 
Kilian, which is the summer route of the merchants. 
At the mouth of this side-valley was a ruined fort, 
perched on an isolated rock rising out of the valley. 
Round it were traces of old cultivation. I learned 
that a robber chief named Ali Nazzar had some 
forty years ago established himself here. He kept 
his wife with a few attendants in a hut built against 
the rock some distance away up a valley, and 
guarded by a ferocious mastiff of the Tartar breed. 
The Chinese emissaries from Yarkand managed to 
poison this mastift', and then seized Ali Nazzar 
vvhen he was alone with his wife and unprotected. 
He was thus got rid of, when all attempts to take 
his fort had failed. 

“ A third valley or rather gorge, in the north 



202 


CENTRAL ASIA. 



side, was, late in the afternoon, pointed out to me 
as leading to the Sanjoo Pass. On reaching it, we 
immediately discovered a group of Kirghiz 
‘ akooees,’ or felt tents, snugly pitched in a shel- 
tered nook. In the main valley, a few hundred 
yards lower down, were several fields of stubble, 
the barley having lately been reaped. This was a 
charming sight to eyes accustomed to deserts for 
so long a time. I was led into one of the 
‘ akooees,’ and seated in front of the central fire. 
Presently, two Kirghiz women came in and began 
preparing tea for us, which I and my Mihmandar 
drank out of wooden bowls, adding some Yarkandee 
biscuits out of his saddle-bags. Meanwhile a 
larger ‘ akooee ’ was being prepared for me, into 
which I was ushered. Now, for the first time, I 
had leisure to examine the structure of these 
singular tents. You remember those toys made 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


203 


by a kind of trelliswork, which lengthen when 
open and shorten up when shut. A line of these 
(with meshes nearly a foot wide) are half-opened, 
and set up on edge in a circle. They compose the 
side walls of the tent, some four feet high. To 
the upper edge of these, and at intervals of a foot, 
a set of curved rods are tied. These have a bend 
some two feet from the lower end, so that they all 
converge inward, towards the centre, forming the 
skeleton of a low dome. But they do not meet, 
for their inner ends are fixed into holes in a large 
hoop (some three feet across), thus leaving a large 
opening in the middle of the roof. The hoop is 
supported by these rods at a height of ten or 
twelve feet from the ground. A lot of large sheets 
of felt, cut so as to fit over the different parts of 
the framework, and sewn round the edges with a 
cord, are tightly stretched over the whole, and 
fastened with ropes, leaving only the opening in 
the middle of the roof for the smoke to escape. 
The framework of a door is placed in an opening 
of the side-walls, and a felt curtain hangs before it. 

“You cannot conceive a more comfortable 
dwelling. The satisfaction of seeing the smoke 
go straight up and away, is inexpressible, after the 
horrors of a fire in front of one’s tent, which, pitch 
it how you will, is always full of smoke. The 
Kirghiz have all the comforts of a house in these 
moveable dwellings. The furniture forms a yak- 
load, while the ‘akooee’ itself is carried by two 
more. Felt carpeting covers the ground, while 
around arc piled bedding for the inmates, wooden 


204 


CENTRAL ASIA. 



TENT, AS COMPLETED. 

vessels of all sorts, large copper caldrons, sacks 
of flour, saddles, and saddle-cloths. From the 
framework hang large bags of embroidered leather, 
in which are placed the smaller household goods, 
also matchlocks and swords. At night, when the 
fire goes out, a sheet of felt is drawn over the 
opening in the roof, and the snugness is incon- 
ceivable ; while nothing could exceed its cleanli- 
ness and neatness.* 

“ Such was the dwelling in which I was now 
established. Under a cloth I discovered several 
Joints of meat, with a look of strange flesh about 
them. On inquiry, I found they were horseflesh, 
thus giving me, at my first approach, a sample of 

* Marco Polo (Vule’s ‘ Marco Polo,’ i. 220) says, “The Tartars’ 
huts or tents are formed of rods covered with felt, and, being exactly 
round and nicely put together, they can gather them into one bundle 
and make them up as packages, which they carry along with them in 
theii n'igrations.’’ 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


205 


the habi!:s of the country. Seated on the felt 
carpet, I enjoyed a comforta.ble dinner, and went 
to bed, for the first time, in a Kirghiz ‘ akooee.’ 
“The next morning, our road layup a narrow 
winding gorge, northwards, with tremendous 
vertical cliffs on either hand. Dead horses were 
passed at every few hundred yards, marking the 
difficulties of the route. We took up our abode m 
a kind of cave, so as to save the delay of striking 
the tents in the morning. On the following day, 
we started for the pass into Toorkistan. The 
gorge gradually became steeper and steeper, and 
dead horses more frequent. The stream was hard 
frozen into a torrent of white ice. The distant 
mountains began to show behind us, peeping over 
the shoulders of the nearer ones. Finally, our 
gorge vanished, and we were scrambling up the 
open shingly side of the mountain, towards the 
ridge. Up to this point I had ridden, out of 
deference to the feelings of my Mihmandfir, who 
was himself mounted on a yak. But here I could 
stand it no longer, and dismounted to walk. As 
I feared, my Mihmandar, after vainly trying to per- 
suade me to mount his yak, himself got off and 
attempted walking. A hundred yards were enough 
for him, and, then, when I pressed him to ride, he*' 
was glad enough to do so. Politeness yielded to 
fatigue. 

“Before long, J and my two Guddee servants 
were far ip advance of the rest of the party, 
although walking slowly. In the morning, my 
Ladak interpreter, Tashee, had warned the other 


2o6 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


servants that they would never get to the top of 
the pass, and that they would now see what 
mountains were like. Like all ignorant races, the 
Tibetans seem to think that in no other country is 
the equal to be found to their own. But it was 
amusing to think of their instructing a couple of 
born mountaineers as to the nature of passes ! The 
end was that Tashee was soon left laboring up the 
ascent, while we three arrived at the top of my 
eleventh pass since leaving India. The pass is very 
little lower than the rest of the narrow ridge 
which tops the range. The first sight, on cresting 
the ‘ col,’ was a chaos of lower mountains, while 
far away to the north the eye at last rested on 
what it sought, a level horizon indistinctly bound- 
ing what looked like a distant sea. This was the 
plain of Eastern Toorkistan, and that blue haze 
concealed cities and provinces, which, first of all 
my countrymen, I was about to visit. A step fur- 
ther showed a steep descent down a snow-slope, 
into a large basin surrounded by glaciers on three 
sides. This basin was occupied by undulating 
downs, covered with grass (a most welcome sight), 
and occupied by herds of yaks. 

“ VVe here rested, lit a fire, and boiled water to 
ascertain the height of the pass. A lot of yaks 
were crossing the ridge under the charge of several 
Kirghiz, who had been sent for to help my lug- 
gage across. We waited three-quarters of an hour, 
but as the Mihmandar did not appear, I began to 
descend. The path was a zigzag, through the 
snow, which had been trodden into most slippery 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 20 / 

ice. My pony, having arrived, was taken down 
by two men, one of whom supported him by the 
tail, while the other led him. More than one 
horse had recently lost his footing here, and rolled 
down the slope, and we saw the crows having a 
feast off the carcases on the snow at the bottom. 
After a few hundred feet, the snow ceased, but the 
descent continued steep for a couple of miles of 
zigzags. Then we were landed on the uppermost 
grassy downs, where presently we found a party of 
Moghuls waiting to welcome me. Each of them 
came forward and took my hand between both of 
his, with which he afterwards slowly stroked his 
beard. They assisted me to dismount, and con- 
ducted me to where several sheets of felt were 
spread on the ground. While tea was being made, 
they advanced in procession ; the first man spread 
a cloth on the ground before me, and each of the 
others deposited his tray of fruit on it. Our eyes 
were gladdened by the sight of rosy apples and 
pears, besides other fruit which we had seen before. 
Our hosts then informed us that they were the 
servants of the Yoozbashee* (the Vizier’s brother), 
sent to welcome me at the foot of the pass, and 
that their master’s camp was in the valley not far 
down, to which they were instructed to bring us on 
at once. At this stage of the proceedings, the 
Mihmandar arrived from the pass ; two sepoys 
were sent off on yaks to announce our approach, 
and I had my breakfast, rather a late one. Soon 


• Derived from “ yooz,” a hundred, and “ bashee,” an office* 
(Toorkee), and therefore meaning a “centurion.” 


2o8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


after, we also started, escorted by the ‘Akskal,’* 
or elder of the Kirghiz. A pretty rapid descent 
through the grassy downs brought us into the head 
of a gorge, down which we continued our route. 
It was getting late, and there was no sign of the 
Yoozbashee’s camp; so, as our things were far 
behind, a halt was called. We lit a fire, and 
waited for two or three hours before the tents 
arrived and were put up. The gorge was barren 
and sandy, with a small ice-bound stream fringed 
with bushes. 

“ On Saturday the 28th, after breakfasting, we 
continued our march, fording the stream several 
times. All the servants were provided with horses 
or yaks to ride, and when we passed several of my 
Ladakees on foot, my Mihmandar made some ot 
the Kirghiz followers dismount and give their yaks 
to my men. About five miles after starting, as we 
mounted the steep bank of the stream which we 
had just crossed, a group of horsemen met us on 
the top. The foremost advanced, and took my 
hand in both of his, holding it while he asked me 
several questions in a cordial tone of voice, which 
I needed no interpreter to tell me were inquiries 
after my welfare. He then turned his horse, and 
motioning politely to me to ride by his side, we 
continued our journey. One of his followers started 
off at a wild gallop in front of us, discharging his 
matchlock, and afterwards whirling it round his 
head with a loud whoop. This I found was a 
salute intended to do me honor. 


Derived from “ak,” white, and “skal,” a beard (Toorkee). 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


209 


“I had now leisure to examine the appearance 
of the Yoozbashee. He was a young man of appa- 
rently little more than thirty years, with a bright 
intelligent face and energetic manners. His head- 
dress was a green turban. A sober-colored outer 
robe covered the richer clothes beneath, and was 
fastened round the waist by two separate blue belts 
ornamented with numerous silver clasps and bars. 
To these belts were attached a silver-hilted sabre 
much curved, and a series of nondescript articles, 
including pouches of embroidered leather, a prim- 
ing-flask of peculiar shape, &c. The ends of a pair 
of very wide trowsers of soft yellow leather 
covered with embroidery were just visible below 
his robe, and his feet were enclosed in boots, or 
rather high moccasins, of the same, with a row of 
silver nail-heads round the soles. He rode a small 
but handsome gray with an almost Arab look 
about the head, but a heavier neck, and his seat on 
horseback was perfection. 

“ We rode about a mile, and then reached a 
little flat covered with small trees. Here was an 
encampment of Kirghiz, together with the follow- 
ers of the Yoozbashee and their horses. I was 
taken into a Kirghiz akooee that had been pre- 
pared for me, and led to the place of honor, viz., a 
carpet spread over the sheets of felt directly 
opposite the door ; this carpet I was left to 
occupy alone in my glory, while the Yoozbashee 
seated himself on the side carpet to my right, with 
my former Mihmandar below him ; two of his 
principal attendants were seated near the door, 


210 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


outside which the remainder, armed with match- 
locks, were drawn up as a guard of honor. Now I 
must explain to you the Toorkish manner of sit- 
ting on state occasions ; it is a mode of torture 
unknown to Western nations. Natives of India, 
as a rule, squat down with their feet still on the 
ground, and their knees just below their chins. 
Others cross their legs in front of them, and sit 
like a tailor. But in Toorkistan the ceremonious 
manner is to kneel down with your robes well 
tucked in, and then sit back on to your heels. 
When your toes are by these means nearly dislo- 
cated, you have the option of turning them 
inwards, and sitting on the inside flat of the feet. 
By this means the dislocation is transferred from 
your toes to your ankles and knees. 

“ The sword is a further source of difficulty. If, 
when first kneeling down, you forget to keep the 
point in front of you, so as to lay it across your 
knees, you can never bring it round afterwards, 
and it remains fixed behind you, hitching up the 
left side of your belt in the most uncomfortable 
manner, and forming a stumbling-block to all the 
attendants who bring tea, &c. I must tell you 
that swords are here worn in a frog, like a French 
policeman’s, and not loosely attached by straps, 
like those of English officers. After thus seating 
yourself, you spread out both arms, and then bring 
your hands to your face, solemnly stroking your 
beard (if you have one), and saying, ‘ Allahoakber’ 
— ‘ God is great.’ 

“ 'I’hus seated, a conversation was carried on 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


2II 


through Jooma as interpreter. The Yoozbashee 
asked whether I had suffered any discomfort by 
the way, and apologized for my detention at Sha- 
hidoolla, saying it was caused by the arrival of the 
other Englishman regarding whom they were 
obliged to get the King’s orders. He asked me 
who he was, and what he wanted. In reply I re- 
peated the old story of our meeting while on a 
shooting excursion, of his desiring to accompany 
me to Yarkand, and of my refusal without the 
King’s orders. The Yoozbashee then took his 
leave, after giving me a short note from his Ma- 
jesty, giving me a military salute which I fancy 
they must have taken from the Russians, as it is in 
continental style. Immediately afterwards the 
procession appeared, headed by my former Mih- 
mandar, \^hom I now learned to call the Panja- 
bashee (which is his real title, meaning ‘ captain of 
fifty’). They laid before me a cloth, and covered 
it with trays of fruit of all sorts, eggs, sugar, bread, 
&c. This I found was a regular institution ; it is 
called a ‘dastar-khan,’ and during the remainder 
of my journey the ceremony took place every 
morning and evening on the part of the Yooz- 
bashee ; beside which, dastar-khans were presented 
by other officials. I generally ate one or two ol 
the fiuit, and offered some to the person who was 
in charge ; for the giver did not himself accompany 
it as a rule, but sent his highest subordinate. Pres- 
ently a sheep was brought to the door, and a cold 
fowl on a dish. From that day to this a fresh sheep 
has appeared daily at my door, and though all my 


512 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


servants are feasted on mutton, and I constantly 
give away whole sheep, yet my flock keeps on in- 
creasing. 

“Up to this time my Ladakee yak-drivers had 
been brought along with us. Their yaks and 
ponies had been left beyond the pass, and they had 
themselves petitioned to be discharged there. I 
was ready to do so, but the Panjabashee had con- 
sidered it necessary to bring them with us, nomi- 
nally in order that they might not be dismissed 
without presents, but in reality I imagine it was 
feared they might carry away letters from me. 
Heaven knows I had but little news to give ! No 
reports had I to make of the nakedness of the land. 
No expeditionary force was waiting at Ladak for 
my instructions as to the route. But the ignorance 
of this people, accustomed to the isolation of cen- 
turies, conjures up dangers out of the least scrap 
of Feringhee writing. 

“ Arrived at the Yoozbashee’s camp, the Lada- 
kees made another desperate effort to obtain re- 
lease. They importuned with such success that at 
last it was decided they might go. In all this I 
took care not to mix myself up, for had I shown 
the least anxiety to procure their discharge, an 
ulterior object would have been at once imagined. 
However, the Panjabashee was sent to tell me that 
the Ladakees were to be sent back. They were 
to be given yaks to ride as far as Karakash, with 
provisions of every kind sufficient for their return 
journey. This was of course intended as a com- 
pliment to me, for the Ladakees themselves con- 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


213 


fessed that, had they been alone they would only 
have received kicks and cuffs instead of presents, 
as reprobate heathens. 

“ Later in the afternoon I paid a visit of cere- 
mony to the Yoozbashee in his own akooee, at- 
tended by my two Guddee servants (arrayed in the 
gorgeous cotton silk khilats sent by the Moonshee 
from Yarkand), and preceded by the Panjabashee. 
I went to his door. He put me on the carpet of 
honor, and ordered in a dastar-khan and tea. He 
had now taken off his outer robe, and was dressed 
in a Yarkand silk ‘ khilat,’ loose and shining ; be- 
neath it a ‘ kamsole,’ or inner robe of English 
printed muslin fastened by a scarf round the waist. 
On his head, instead of a turban, was a tall cap of 
dark green velvet turned up with a fur lining. I 
am always looking out for something Scythian in 
Toorkistan ; for it is pretty well agreed, I believe, 
that the Asiatic Scythians at any rate were the 
progenitors of the modern Tartars, under which 
very vague title the Toorkees are certainly included. 
Sir H. Rawlinson indeed thinks that the ancient 
Sakae or ‘ Amyrgian Scythians ’ of Herodotus in- 
habited Yarkand and Kashghar. Now their char- 
acteristic dress was a tall pointed cap and trowsers. 
Here I saw them before me on the first Toork of 
rank that I had met ! The head-dress is probably 
peculiar to Central Asia. Opposite the Yooz- 
bashee were seated his moollah or scribe, who 
knows one or two words of Persian, and reads and 
writes all letters for his master. Also the ‘ Alam ’ 
of Sanjoo, who is the chief minister of religion, and 


214 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


as such wears a peculiar round cap with fur border, 
over which is neatly tied a large white turban of 
peculiar shape. The Yoozbashee assured me of 
his King’ s good will towards me, and that the 
purpose of his mission was to see that I received 
every attention and honor by the way. When I 
left the tent a silk robe was put over my shoul- 
ders, the Yoozbashee begging me to excuse the 
poverty of the gift on account of our being out in the 
jungle, and saying that he ought to have presented 
me with a horse and trappings, &c. I replied that 
the pleasure of meeting him was quite sufficient 
without any presents, and then I was shown to my 
tent by the Panjabashee. 

“ Shortly afterwards he returned my visit ; on 
which occasion I presented him with a yellow silk 
Cashmere turban, which was tied on his head in 
place of the Scythian cap. Then he rose, and 
performed the usual ‘ Allaho-akber ’ (stroking his 
beard), which ceremony I find comes in every- 
where. If you receive a present, or enter a house, 
or finish a meal, it is always ‘ Alla-a-a-Jio-akber !* 
The Moghuls pronounce the a very broad in this 
as in all other words, sounding it like our aw. 

“ After breakfast the next morning, the men of 
Ladak having been sent off, we started on our ride 
down the mountain gorge, a horseman galloping 
off frantically in front of us to fire the usual running 
salute. Constantly fording the stream through 
sheets of ice, and raising clouds of dust as we rode 
along the barren sides, we got through two days’ 
march. I was disappointed in my expectation of 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


215 


finding the hillsides clothed with forests or verdure 
as we reached a lower level. A few small de- 
ciduous trees, and a little grass on the banks of 
the stream, was all that broke the barrenness of 
the sandy valley. The mountain-sides were cov- 
ered with a coat of light soil, through which the 
rocks cropped out. On such precipitous faces a 
few heavy showers of rain would have washed it 
all away ; it would thus appear that heavy rain is 
unknown here, or even much snow. 

“ The interpreter was in tonstant requisition, as 
the Yoozbashee was very friendly and communi- 
cative. Among other questions, he asked how it 
was that Shaw Sahib was not black, as he lived in 
Hindostan I explained that the real home of 
the English was in a cold climate, and that I was 
now delighted at reaching a country where the 
people resembled my own countrymen in color, 
after the dark faces of India ; for he and his party 
had about the complexion of a well-bronzed 
Englishman, and were no darker than myself, in 
fact, at that moment. He showed me the pistol 
he wore in his waist, a rough old cavalry pistol of 
English make, evidently much prized, for which 
he carried a few musket-caps in a box. I then 
showed him my breech-loading revolver. He was 
wild with delight and astonishment, and insisted 
on firing off all six chambers, loaded with ball, 
into the air ! 

“ At our night’s encampment, I showed him my 
breech-loading rifle (Dougal). This, too, had to 
be fired, and he pointed out a large stone some 


2i6 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


way up a ravine opposite. His two shots went 
astray. Then I fired. The first missed, but gave 
me the distance, and with the second barrel I was 
lucky enough to hit. He asked, ‘ How many yards 
is it T I replied about 250 ; but he exclaimed, 
‘ No, it is far nearer a thousand !’ He seemed 
much struck with the powers of the rifle, and went 
away in a silent mood. In the morning before I 
was dressed, he was practising at the same stone 
with his own matchlock, but, my servants said, 
did not go near it. 

“Toward afternoon of the second day, the val- 
ley began to widen, and the hilly sides to become 
lower. Numberless red-legged partridges were 
calling all around. I was made to load my gun, 
but told to come along on horseback. Instead of 
allowing me to walk up to the birds, no sooner 
was a covey seen than our whole cavalcade scat- 
tered wildly in chase. Some of the party even 
crossed the stream after them, yelling with excite- 
ment. I and my Guddee servants roared with 
laughter at seeing these people galloping after the 
partridges, as if they wished to put salt on their 
tails instead of shooting them, or letting me do so. 
I watched my opportunity, and, when they were 
out of the way, I dismounted and went after a covey 
which I heard in another direction. Returning 
with a bird I had shot, I was met by the Yoozba- 
shee holding five live ones in his hand, and shout- 
ing for Shaw Sahib to come and look. I was 
astounded, but soon discovered that this apparently 
childish amusement of galloping after partridges 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


217' 


was really a most effectual way of catching them. 
Several were afterwards caught in my sight. The 
birds fly from one side of the valley to the other. 
If put up again immediately, they soon get tired, 
and after two or three flights begin running on the 
ground. Then the men gallop up, and strike at 
them with their whips. It is a most exciting 
amusement over rough country. I had heard of 
quails being caught in this way when tired by a 
long flight during their annual migrations, but did 
not imagine a partridge could be taken so. 

“ When the partridges ceased, my companions 
began skylarking among themselves, displaying 
the most perfect horsemanship in so doing. The 
two clerical gentlemen chiefly distinguished them- 
selves, viz., Moollah Shereef, and the Alam of 
Sanjoo, who pulled off his outer robe for greater 
freedom. They caught one another round the 
waist, each trying to dislodge the other from his 
saddle, and wrestled on horseback ; meanwhile 
their horses were leaping ditches and banks-, and 
going headlong over the roughest ground. Finally, 
each remained in possession of his adversary’s 
turban. The Yoozbashee encouraged them in all 
their antics, occasionally starting forward at full 
gallop with a shout and a laugh, to the great dis- 
composure of my Guddee servants’ seats, and of 
my turban (which I had not yet learned to tie 
firmly). While amusing ourselves thus, we reached 
the first cultivation. The valley was no different 
from before, but we crossed several fields of fallow 
ground, and several dry irrigation channels ; while 


2I8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


on the other side of the stream there was a clump 
of leafless trees, and two or three mud-built houses 
with flat roofs. Presently a flock of sheep ap- 
peared, and then a lot of donkeys grazing. I hailed 
all these signs of inhabited lands with delight, to 
the great amusement of the Yoozbashee, who, 
however, seemed quite to understand what the 
pleasure must be of leaving behind us the deserts 
where we had been so long. He called my atten- 
tion to each fresh object that presented itself, say- 
ing with a smile : ‘ Here, Shaw Sahib, here is a 
tree, and there is a heap of straw earthed over to 
keep for the cattle ; and look, there are cocks and 
hens, and a peasant’s house !’ 

“ The hills had by this time sunk into long low 
ridges a few hundred feet high, still chiefly sand 
slopes with a few rocks cropping out. The name 
of the first cultivated ground was Kewas, but the 
houses were few and much scattered. In fact I 
could distinguish no separation of villages, al- 
though different names were given me by the way. 
P'rom the first hamlet, a succession of habitations 
appeared ; at first very far apart, and then getting 
more and more numerous as we proceeded. At 
last we halted at a little farm-house. The Yooz- 
bashee dismounted, and led me into a little court- 
yard surrounded by mud walls, and thence into a 
room opening into it. It was empty, the people 
being employed somewhere near, but we took 
possession. After sitting down with me, and 
saying ‘ Allaho-akber,’ he hurried off with a smile 
and a wave of the hand, to find lodgings for him- 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


219 


self. The other principal room of the house, on 
the other side, -Was taken for this purpose, while 
the remainder of our followers pitched tents out- 
side. My cooking-fire was lit in the court-yard. I 
was very curious to examine the first Tooikistanee 
house. The walls were all of mud, a couple Tfect 
thick. A straight thick log of poplar supported 
the roof of the room, passing from wall to wall, 
while small sticks were laid across from each side, 
resting on this beam in the middle. A good 
coating of dry mud on the top of this formed the 
roof, through which a small opening was left near 
the door to give light. After entering, a step led 
up to the floor of the room, which was covered with 
felt carpeting. There were shelves for cups and 
dishes all round the room, and a large wooden bed- 
stead at one side, with a great quantity of good 
bedding. The fireplace projected from the wall, 
forming a kind of arch about four feet high ; behind 
which the chimney went up through the wall. 
About a foot above the hearth were recesses on 
both sides to hold the cooking-pots over the fire. 
Several vessels for water were standing in the 
corner, being large double calabashes, the larger 
half below and the smaller above, joined by a neck 
round which a rope is tied. There was another 
similar room in the house ; also several store- 
rooms, and a large cattle-house. Outside the 
court-yard was a small shed for the fowls. 

“ A cat appeared and made great friends with 
me, taking me quite under its protection, purring 
and sitting down by my side opposite the fire. I 


220 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


accepted this as a happy omen on first entering a 
strange land. I really felt the company of this 
friendly cat quite a comfort ; it seemed at once to 
make one at home. We afterwards found that 
cats were a favored race in Toorkistan, not the 
scared, half-starved things that disappear round 
corners in Indian houses ; but sleek, well-fed 
creatures which know how to purr, and scorn to 
steal. While I write, there are four of them lying 
in all positions on the rug in front of my fire ! 

“ The owner of the house, and his family, had a 
glorious feast, for I gave them the greater part of 
my dastar-khan, consisting of a dozen or more 
large sheets of bread (I measured some two feet in 
diameter ! they are delicious, being made of Yar- 
kand flour ; as light as French rolls, though made 
without leaven), and of fruit of all sorts. In the 
morning we rode about three miles, the cultivation 
being continuous, and the houses more and more 
numerous, while the hedgerows were planted with 
poplars, apple and pear trees, all leafless now. 
We now saw, on ahead, a small body of horsemen 
drawn up by the side of the way, and their leader 
dressed in black, and sitting on a splendid black 
horse. The Yoozbashee told me this was the 
‘ Beg ’ or Governor of Sanjoo come out to meet 
me, and conduct me in, and asked whether I would 
get off, or salute him on horseback. I said, ‘ I 
will go entirely by your advice in these matters ; 
for you know the respective ranks of the different 
officers whom I shall meet, and to whom the 
various marks of respect are due.’ He said, ‘ Then 


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TURKOMAN FIIN FRAT, 



THE march to YARKAND. 


221 


do as I do.’ When within twenty yards, he pulled 
up, and dismounted, the Beg riding forward and 
doing the same. They ran forward to meet one 
another, and embraced, each putting his chin on 
the other’s right shoulder, and his arms round his 
body. Then the Beg turned to me, the Yoozba- 
shee introducing me by name, and we clasped both 
hands, finishing by stroking the beard, and saying 
‘ Allaho-Akbcr.’ After remounting, the Yoozba- 
shce told me that his friend the Beg had just lost 
a wife, which was the reason of his being all in 
black upon a black horse. I told him this was 
also the color we used in mourning. 

“ By this time we reached a fine clump of tall 
poplars, with a little square, and a mosque (which 
was merely a room open at the front, where a row 
of wooden pillars took the place of a wall). A 
street opened into the little square, but consisted 
merely of two opposite mud walls, with a door in 
them every thirty yards. Entering one of these 
doors on the right, we passed through one clean- 
looking court-yard into a second ; then up four or 
five steps across a wide verandah into a room, well 
carpeted, and with a bright fire. Here, after com- 
plimentary speeches and inquiries, the Beg and the 
Yoozbashee left me. 

“ The other end of the verandah was divided off 
from mine by matting hung up, and was occupied 
by my kitchen apparatus. The floor of the verandah 
was two or three feet above the ground, but through 
ii a passage at the ground-level led into tlie interior 
of the house, where the women lived. Mine was 


222 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the guest-room. A door led out of the court-yard 
into an orchard behind the house, planted with 
apple, pear, and walnut trees, and where a crop 
of Indian corn had been grown last season. Beyond 
were other fields and orchards divided by mud 
walls and hedges, with groups of houses scattered 
over the whole. In fact, Sanjoo is more a thickly 
populated district than a town or village. It has 
a central bazaar, where a market is held every 
Monday (the day before we arrived there was one), 
and here and there the houses are so numerous 
and close as to form short streets, but there is not 
a continuous town. All this I observed in a 
ramble which I presently took at the suggestion 
of my entertainers. The people here, as elsewhere 
in Eastern Toorkistan, seem very well-to-do. 
No rags or appearance of poverty anywhere. 
Every member of the crowd that gathered round 
our party as we arrived and started was dressed in 
several good thick robes reaching below the knee, 
with high leather boots, and a cap turned up all 
round, showing a handsome fur lining. The women 
did not appear much, but I saw one or two in long 
robes, not fastened in at the waist and reaching to 
the ankle, boots like the men, and a similar fur 
cap on the top of a white handkerchief which 
covered the ears and back of the head and .nrck. 

I noticed that they examined me quite freely, 
looking over the tops of their gates, but the mo- 
ment the Yoozbashee appeared, they immediately 
hid. I find that, as a rule, in this country the 
women go about openly unveiled, but whenever a 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


223 


religious magistrate is seen coming, they either 
run away or draw down an openwork veil over 
their faces. 

“The Yoozbashee showed me the horses which 
he had left at Sanjoo. Toorkee horses are taken 
immense care of and well groomed, but their treat- 
ment differs from ours in some particulars. The 
saddles are never taken off night or day, but 
covered over with horse-clothing, which extends 
to the neck and head. They are walked about for 
a great part of the time that they are not on the 
road, sometimes for four or five hours after coming 
in. Even the common horses are tied up, and not 
allowed to feed indiscriminately. They get plenty 
of corn (barley or Indian corn), and but little grass. 
This makes them very fit for long journeys. The 
saddles are of painted and polished wood, with a 
very high peak in front, and are well raised from 
the back-bone. Their trappings are very rich, with 
embroidered cloths and silver mountings. The 
Yoozbashee said, ‘You must take your choice of 
one out of these three horses of mine, with all his 
belongings.’ I pretended to be shocked at the idea, 
and said ‘ No.’ He laughed, and we parted. This 
offer he repeated once more before we reached 
Yarkand, but I again politely refused ; and learned 
afterwards that I had done quite right, as it would 
not have been the thing forme to accept a present 
from any one but the Vizier or the King. 

“ It would only tire the reader if I w(;re to trace 
the remainder of my journey, step by step, as I 
have done hitherto. I need only describe the 


224 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


general features of the country, and our manner of 
travelling. As for the former, on leaving the fer- 
tile valley of Sanjoo, we ascended the sandy cliff 
to our north, several hundred feet, and then came 
into an immense undulating plain of sand, scantily 
spotted with small and scraggy bushes. This plain 
sloped down from the foot of the mountains to our 
left (south), and we could see in the distance to 
our right that it was cut up into ravines at its 
descent into the level plains. For four days we 
rode westward along this desert, which was broken 
in four places at unequal distances by streams 
coming down from the mountains, and fertilizing 
the land on either side of them. These fertile 
strips, sunk below the surface of the neighboring 
desert, form oases covered with villages and highly 
cultivated. Thus we always had a village to rest 
in at night, though our day’s journey was entirely 
over barren sand. 

“ All this time the line of the mountains, which 
from Sanjoo were very conspicuous southward, 
diverged more and more from our route, till on 
the fourth day they were barely visible. On the 
fifth day we turned right away from them north- 
ward, passing through some broken ground where 
our desert sloped into the level plain. This was 
also bare sand, communicating, I was told, with 
the great ‘ Takla-Makan,’ the central desert of 
A.sia, which, under the name of Gobi, stretches 
eastward into China. But presently we reached 
fields and houses near the town of Kargalik, and 
from that place to Yarkand we passed through a 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


225 


well-cultivated country full of villages, and with- 
out a trace of sandy or waste land. At intervals, 
tall poles with sign-boards marked the distances 
along the road, the measurement being by the 
‘ tash,’ equalling nearly five of our miles, I reckoned. 

“ It was market-day as we passed out of Karga- 
lik, and for three or four miles there was an un- 
ceasing stream of people, young and old, men and 
women, pouring in from the villages (the majority 
on horseback) either to buy or to sell for their 
weekly necessities. Some carried fowls or baskets 
full of eggs, some had sheep and cattle, others 
droves of donkeys laden with cotton or other 
produce of their fields for sale. I saw several hand- 
some horses being led in to find purchasers. In 
fact, but for the dress of the people you might 
have thought it was market-day at some country 
town in England ; the rosy-faced farmers’ wives 
bringing in their children for a treat, while the 
men were transacting all the business of the country 
side. The villages even, with their surrounding 
orchards and crowds of noisy fowls, reminded me 
of home, but lacked the high gables and numerous 
doors and windows of the English farmhouse. In- 
stead of this, blank walls surrounding courtyards, 
and low buildings with no visible roof, put one in 
mind of a man both bald and blind. There are no 
hedges, but the number of trees both round the 
houses and along the watercourses prevent the 
vountry from having the bare appearance of some 
of the French provinces. 

“ Numberless little hamlets of two or three 


226 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


houses in a group are scattered over the whole 
face of it, and bear witness to the long existence 
of a settled government, and security to the in- 
habitants, so different from the Punjab, where 
former misrule and anarchy have accustomed the 
people to crowd all their houses together for 
safety, till a village resembles a huge ant-hill with 
many exits. Irrigation seems to be carried to a 
great extent ; in fact all cultivation depends on it, 
as there is little rain.* The watercourses run in 
all directions, being carried over and under one 
another at the road, and by small aqueducts over 
marshes and hollows. The falls and sluices are 
utilized in driving stamping-mills for husking the 
rice, and in the manufacture of gunpowder, pound- 
ing the saltpetre, &c. These are driven by a wheel 
with a single cog, a pair of pestles rising and fall- 
ing alternately, like long slender hammers. Be- 
sides Kargalik, we passed through two other 
towns, one smaller and one larger than it. They 
are much like Indian towns, except that the streets 
of the bazar are covered over for the sake of 
shade — a precaution not much wanted at this time 
of year, when all the pools and tanks are hard 
frozen. The great difference from the appearance 
of Indian towns is in the greater look of well- 
being in the inhabitants. Their clothes are all so 


• In the travels of Hwui Seng, the Chinese pilgrim, a.d. 519, it is 
^Titten : — “ The people of this region use the water of the rivers for 
irrigating their fields ; and when they were told that in the middle 
country (China) the fields were watered by the rain, they laughed 
and said, ‘ How could Heaven provide enough for all ?’ ” 


THE MARCH TO VARKAND. 


227 


good and substantial, and they are indebted to the 
tailor for the whole of their garments, ignoring 
that untidy Indian custom of throwing loose sheets 
over their bodies ! There is an absence of the 
coolie class too, with its blank stare of utter 
stupidity ; here every one looks respectable, brisk, 
and intelligent. The townspeople all gather in 
rows on either hand, and bow low to the King’s 
guest with both hands crossed on their breasts. 
This is their mode of salutation. Women bow 
with their arms hanging down instead. The ‘ as- 
salam aleikoom ’ is for my conductor, the Yooz- 
bashee, a true believer, who replies with a con- 
stantly repeated ‘ o aleikoom as-salam.’ 

“At Kargalik one of the features of the place 
was rather startling, viz., a gallows standing by the 
side of the principal street at the entrance of the 
town. It was unoccupied at the time, but seemed 
well-worn. 

“At one of these places I was shown a newly- 
caught black eagle of the sort called ‘ Birkoot,’ 
which are trained to catch antelope and deer as 
falcons do birds. The unfortunate creature was 
hooded, and wrapped up, wings, talons and all, in 
,i sheep-skin, and this bundle was suspended 
(head downwards) from the man’s saddle during 
the march. They consider this treatment has a 
tendency to tame the bird !* 


* Marco Polo (Yule’s “Marco Polo,” i. 843, and note at p. 355) 
says, “ His majesty has eagles also which are trained to stoop at 
wolves, and such is their size and strength that none, however large, 
Vin escape from their talons.” 


228 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ I now saw for the first time the two-humped or 
Bactrian camel used as a beast of burden. We 
passed several strings of them. They are darker 
in color, stouter in make, and are clothed with a 
^thicker coat than the common camel of Indi i, 
which has only one hump. Another mode of con- 
veyance too betokened considerable advance in civ- 
ilization ; this was the ‘ arabah,’ or cart.* It is a 
covered van or tilt-cart mounted on two very high 
wheels (just like English wheels with many spokes), 
and drawn by three horses, one in the shafts, and 
two leaders drawing abreast with traces. They 
are driven from the cart with reins and a long whip. 
It is altogether a far superior turn-out to the com- 
mon cart of India, where two bullocks, straggling 
right and left at the point of a long triangular tray, 
mounted on solid wooden disks for wheels, have 
their tails twisted by the half-naked coolie who 
squats between them with his knees in his face. 

“ I cannot say much for the road, although it 
would be ungrateful in me to speak ill of it, for it 
had been smoothed and mended expressly for me 
all the way, and the small streams and water- 
courses were all carefully bridged as far as there 
was time. This was an honor that I hardly ex- 
pected. I learned afterwards that they had asked 
my agent, Diwan Baksh, about the custom in 
India, and what was done there when any illus- 

• Marco Polo (Chap, xlvii. Bk. I., Bohn’s Ed.) says, “They (the 
Tartars) have a superior kind of vehicle on two wheels, covered like- 
wise with black felt, and so effectually as to protect those within it 
Iroui wet, during a whole day of rain.” 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


229 


trious stranger came. He told them the usual 
preparations that were made, such as mending 
roads, etc., and they took the hint so thoroughly 
as even to prepare spare beams at all the bridges, 
in case the press ofhorses accompanying me should 
break through. I confess I was made rather un- 
easy by these unexpected preparations, coming 
upon the top of the other honors which they poured 
upon me. It struck me that my agent might not 
have been sufficiently careful in his expressions, 
and the Vizier might imagine that I came on a 
mission from our Government. 

“ But I have not yet given an account of the 
manner of our journeying, and of the treatment 
bestowed on me. They gave me a capital horse 
to ride, as they did also to all my servants. A 
couple of troopers were put in charge of my bag- 
gage, which followed us well. The Yoozbashee 
had about a dozen attendants with him ; besides 
which two or three of his men were always on the 
road either to or from Yiirkand, carrying reports of 
our progress, and rejoining our party in an incred- 
ibly short time, dressed in new robes, and bringing 
complimentary messages from the Shaghawal to 
the Mihman (myself). What they can have found 
to report, I cannot imagine ; but it was evident 
they still had great misgivings about the coming 
of an Englishman, though they outwardly veiled 
them under the show of the greatest politeness. 
As for the Yoozbashee, he was the most cordial 
^nd agreeable of companions. As full of fun as a 
schoolboy home for the holidays, he kept the 


230 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


whole party alive and merry. At one moment he 
was talking to me in a kind of lingua franca chiefly 
Toorkee, with a few words of Persian, to which I 
responded with the languages in the inverse ratio. 
Our alternate mistakes were of course a great fund 
of amusement, in which the whole party joined. 
When, as sometimes happened, we managed to 
understand one another, he would poke me in the 
ribs, or pretend to pull me off the horse, laughing 
heartily. When I mentioned to him anything 
that struck his fancy, for instance any of the arts 
and contrivances of civilization, he would hold up 
his finger at me, shaking his head with a smile, and 
saying, ‘Ah, Shaw Sahib,’ in a voice that implied, 
‘ You “ Frangs” are certainly leagued with “ Shai- 
tan.’” 

“ The next minute he would begin an Andijanee 
song, flourishing his whip about, and suddenly 
bringing it down on the shoulders of some uncon- 
scious attendant. One day, sitting with me at our 
abode for the night, he saw my warm gloves, and 
put them on. A confidential servant was passing 
the door ; he called him in, and, pretending he had 
something to whisper to him, brought him close 
up. Then he gave him five or six hearty cuffs on 
the face with my gloves, as gravely as possible. 
The man looked quite scared, and I thought he 
must have committed some fault, when suddenly 
the Yoozbashee burst out laughing, and showed him 
his two hands with the gloves on. The man took 
the joke, and, following the Scripture precept, pre- 
sented his other cheek to the smiter, who immedi- 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


231 


ately took advantage of the offer. Once we had 
stopped at a road-side mosque for the purpose of 
saying afternoon prayers. He and his party hav- 
ing finished, came running out like a lot of boys 
when school is over. Three women, who were 
coming along the road, seeing the crowd, turned 
aside into a field. Upon which my friend stood 
still, and cried, ‘ Khanem, khanem,’ which means, 

‘ lady.’ At last they were obliged to answer, when 
the Yoozbashee, with the greatest mock polite- 
ness, began a long speech to them about the hap- 
piness of meeting them, his having come expressly 
for the purpose, and brought the Mihman with him, 
and regretting he had not time for any further con- 
versation. The women, meanwhile, half-amused 
and half-shy at so many people, stood with their 
heads turned away. My friend finished with a low 
and ceremonious bow, and a solemn salaam, and 
then turned to see whether I was amused at the 
joke, joining himself in the laughter. 

“ At every village we were welcomed by officers 
of the district to which it belonged, and conducted 
to rooms prepared for us, as at Sanjoo. About 
throe miles from Kargalik, the Beg of that town 
met us, and, after dismounting and saluting him, 
I was led to a carpet spread under some trees, 
and seated in the place of honor, while all our 
attendants sat down on other carpets at a distance. 
Dastar-khans were then brought, consisting of 
basins of soup, pilao in huge bowls, big sheets of 
bread, and numberless dishes of fruit. After we 
had all eaten in our several places, the Yoozbashee 


232 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


requested me to sit still while the whole party 
spread their outer coats in front of me, and recited 
their afternoon prayers. We afterwards resumed 
our journey through horrible clouds of dust caused 
by our augmented cavalcade. By my side rode a 
Bokhara hajjee, who with a companion had ridden 
out to meet us about half a day’s march. He had 
travelled through India, Arabia, and even Room 
(Turkey). 

“ I gathered from this man, who is a merchant, 
that a considerable trade could be carried on be- 
tween India and Toorkistan. He says that 10,000 
camel-loads of tea (or nearly five million pounds) 
enter Bokhara annually, but considers this very 
short commons, the breach with China having 
closed their principal source of supply. Yarkand 
would take immense quantities of tea as well as of 
English piece-goods, and would repay us in gold, 
and silk, and horses, all of which abound, 

“ Crossing an arm of the great Takla-Makan 
Desert, we saw two ‘ keek,’ a small antelope which 
frequents it. They have peculiar lyre-shaped horns 
of which I brought home a specimen. The Yooz- 
bashee says they go in large herds, as do also wild 
camels {?) in the great desert eastward. This 
desert is connected with wonderful superstitions. 
They say there once dwelt a heathen nation there, 
to whom went Jalla-ooddeen preaching Islam. 
They agreed to become Mussulmans if the saint 
could turn all their dwellings into gold. A few 
prayers, and the thing was done. But now these 
infidels turned round on him and said, ‘ Old man. 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


233 


we have all we want ; why should we be Mus- 
sulmans?’ The holy man turned away, but, as he 
left them, the sand rose and overwhelmed them 
and their possessions. Many a search has been 
made for these treasures, but some magic delusion 
always destroys those who wander in this desert. 
I told the Yoozbashee the story which Herodotus 
relates of the gold-digging ants in this very place. 

“ At each town the Governor or Beg rode out 
with his retinue three or four miles to meet me, 
bringinga ‘ dastar-khan,’ or dinner, which was pre- 
pared for the whole party (nearly twenty in num- 
ber). Bowls of soup, huge platters of pilao, roast- 
fowls by the dozen, fruit, bread, &c., were put 
before us, and afterwards I was escorted into the 
town, riding between the Beg and the Yoozbashee. 
The chief merchants met us outside the gates, 
while the people of the town were ranged in rows 
along the streets. 

“ After conducting me to my lodging for the 
night in the Governor’s house, and sitting a short 
time with me, the Beg would take his leave, but 
would come again in the morning to escort me 
out of the town. After parting with him at the 
gates, and riding a couple of hours, we always 
found another ‘ dastar-khan ’ awaiting us under 
some grove of trees, sent out by the Beg of the 
town we had just left. Even the heads of little 
unwalled towns, which we did not stop at, would 
bring out dastar-khans ’ and entreat us to honor 
them by at least drinking a cup of tea. I began 
to get quite frightened at the name of dastar-khan. 


234 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


The quantities of superfluous food and unnecessary 
tea which I consumed during the journey were 
enormous. 

“ As we approached Yarkand, the honorary 
messengers were despatched more frequently than 
ever, returning in their new robes. We crossed a 
considerable river, which I was told is navigated 
by boats in the summer months when its bed is 
full. Now it is divided into five streams, all of 
them fordable. The Yoozbashee had told me that 
I should be met outside the city of Yarkand by 
some person of consequence, the brother or son of 
the Shaghawal (Vizier, or Governor), to whom it 
would be proper for me to present a ‘jama,’ or 
robe. He asked me whether I was provided with 
such a present, and told me that I might command 
him for anything I required, were it looo tillahs 
(about £6od). At the same time he wrote in to 
the Shaghawal to hint to him that my caravan 
being delayed, I had not by me the proper robe to 
present to a man of high rank, and should there- 
fore feel uncomfortable if one came to meet me, and 
that a smaller man had better be sent. Accord- 
ingly, 1 was met three miles from Yarkand by 
another Yoozbashee in gorgeous clothing, with 
about thirty horsemen, who were drawn up in line 
to receive me. We dismounted, and embraced in 
Eastern fashion (I had practised this on the Beg of 
Poskyam, and signally failed from raising the 
wrong arm). He astonished me by the vigorous 
clasp he gave me, and completely stopped my 
breath as I was preparing to accompany the 









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INTERIOR OF A YARKAND IlOr.' 





THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


235 


embrace with a series of polite questions as to his 
health. I then presented him with a new robe 
(lent me by my Yoozbashee for the purpose), which 
one of my servants put over his shoulders. After 
this we all remounted, and continued our journey. 
Shortly afterwards a long low line appeared in 
front of us, in which I recognized the object of my 
long journeyings : it was the wall of Yarkand. As 
we approached through a perfectly flat country, 
one object was conspicuous, rising above the wall 
directly in front of us. It was a tall square scaf- 
folding, like that of a tower that is building, with 
an upper and a lower platform at the top. Seeing 
my look of inquiry, Moollah Shereef whispered to 
me in Persian that it was the execution-stage ! 
This is the first thing a stranger sees of the city ot 
Yarkand. 

“ After passing through a small bazar outside, 
we entered through a gate in the mud wall, which 
is between twenty and thirty feet high, as well as 
I could judge, tapering towards the top, which is 
ten or twelve feet wide. A short distance down 
the first street we passed under the stage which I 
had seen. It rises from the roof of a strong build- 
ing, which I fancy is the Yarkandee condemned 
cell. Our route did not take us through the best 
parts of the city, but the streets we saw were full 
of traffic and lined with shops of all kinds. Most 
of the shop-keepers were women, and in several 
places I saw a regular cradle with a baby in it 
being rocked by the mother’s foot. This is a 
decided improvement on the habit of the Simla 


236 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


hill-men, who hang their young children under a 
spout of water to put them to sleep. Presently we 
passed a second high wall, which I took for another 
town-wall, but found it was merely the boundary 
of one of the colleges. The streets are ten or 
twelve feet wide, and some of the houses have an 
upper story. 

“ After twenty minutes’ ride through a labyrinth 
of winding streets, we passed out through another 
gate, and crossed an empty piece of ground, some 
400 yards across, which divided the old from the 
new city. A few tumble-down houses marked the 
site of a bazar which, under the Chinese regime, 
united the two towns. The ‘Yang-Shahr’ (New 
Town),* which we were approaching, had been 
built as a place of habitation and refuge by the 
foreign rulers of the country. Whenever any 
tumult or rising took place, the Chinese troops 
seem to have retired inside and patiently waited 
till matters blew over, when they would issue out 
and resume their former position in the country. 
The walls are of the same material as those of the 
old city, but surrounded by a deep ditch, and sur- 


* There is a “Yang-Shahr ” or cantonment at each of the cities 
of East Toorkistan. This word must not he confounded with 
“ Yang-Hissar,” which is the name of a town, itself provided with a 
“ V'ang-Shahr.” 

Marco Polo says (see Yule’s ‘Marco Polo,’ i. 300,) “Whilst cn 
the subject of the armies of the Grand Khan, it may be 7 roper here 
to observe .... that it became necessary to keep armies in such 
of the provinces as contained large cities and an extensive popula- 
tion, which [armies'^ are stationed at the distance of four or five 
viiles from those cities, and can enter them at their pleasure.” 


THE MARCH TO YARKAND. 


^17 


mounted at intervals by curious pagoda-like build- 
ings, relics of Chinese occupation. The gateway 
was in similar style ; while round about it were 
congregated great numbers of Toorkee soldiers in 
red tunics and trowsers. Inside many more weie 
lounging about in picturesque attitudes, singing 
and dancing with such a studied air of case, such a 
careful assumption of nonchalance, that I immedi- 
ately discovered the purpose of the assemblage. 
Nor did they seem sufficiently at home in their 
uniforms for me to believe that they were in the 
habit of wearing them. Two or three were prac- 
tising the goose-step, and I am to this moment 
undecided whether they were meant to represent 
recruits at drill or sentries walking up and down at 
their post. A short way down the street we came 
upon an artillery barrack with a row of small guns 
and howitzers in front. The artillerymen were 
dressed in blue, and my eye immediately rested on 
a group better dressed than the others, apparently 
officers. There was no mistaking them for any- 
thing but natives of India, possibly old mutineers. 

“ A few hundred yards further on the street led 
into an open space, beyond which was another wall 
and a gate. Before reaching this we pulled up and 
dismounted, and I was led into a house on the left by 
the two Y oozbashees. Passing through three court- 
yards, we reached a kind of pavilion at the end of 
the third. The flat roof projecting in front formed 
a broad verandah supported on high pillars ; in the 
middle, a recess carried back to the further wall 
held a kind of raised divan, matted and carpeted 


238 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


for vis; tors to sit on ; on either side of the recess 
doors opened into comfortable rooms, furnished 
with Bokhara carpets and with bright fires burn- 
ing. The Yoozbashee informed me that this 
house was mine, and that, after resting a little, I 
should be taken to see the Shaghawal or Governor.” 






CHAPTER XIII. 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 

S HAW was left alone for a short time, after 
being installed in his residence, and then 
the Yoozbashee who had accompanied him from 
the Sanjoo Pass, appeared to conduct him to the 
Shaghawal, or Governor. This officer, he had 
discovered, is not only the Governor of Yarkand, 
but also the second man in the kingdom, cor- 
responding to the Grand Vizier in Turkey. During 
the absence of the Atalik-Ghazee, or King, in 
Kashghar, he occupied the palace at Yarkand. 

“ Passing through the great gate which I had 
before seen,” says Shaw, “ and which was full of 
soldiers (no sham appearance of neglige here), we 
reached a second similarly guarded portal, which 
gave access to the interior of the palace. One 
large court-yard was crossed. Its four sides were 
lined with officials sitting solemnly with eyes fixed 
on the ground, and each bearing a white wand in 
his hand. The silence prevailing amid such num- 
bers of men made an impression quite in keeping 
with the scene, the palace of an Oriental despot. 
Before the door of a second court-yard, a large 


240 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


screen concealed ever)'thing until we entered. 
Here the solitude of the inner penetralia was as 
effective as the silent crowd without. An usher 
with a white wand preceded us, and half-way up 
the court stopped me to point through a distant 
door, where he whispered to me the Shaghawal 
was visible. I saluted him as required by bowing, 
and then was conducted up some steps to the door 
of the room. Here every one left me, and the usher 
motioned to me to enter alone. A small elderly 
man in sober-colored clothes was sitting on a cush- 
ion by the fire. He rose, and hurried forward, to 
meet me near the door, where he embraced me 
after the Eastern fashion, and then led me by the 
hand to another cushion near the fire opposite his 
own, all the while welcoming me most cordially 
and inquring whether I had received every comfort 
and attention by the way. After sitting down, I 
rose again as I had been instructed, and uttered 
the Allaho-akber ! with the sweep of the arms. 
Then sitting down again, Toorkee fashion, I re- 
ceived and replied to many complimentary speeches 
from the Shaghawal. 

“He expressed his pleasure at the arrival of 
an Englishman, saying that they know the friend- 
ship of our nation for the Sultan of Room, who 
was the chief of the Mussulman religion, and thus 
regarded us as already their friends also. But the 
arrival of an English Sahib, who has undertaken 
all the trouble and difficulty of so long a journey 
for the purpose of visiting his King, ,was a further 
bond ot friendship. Friendship, he said, makes 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


241 


everything to prosper ; but by enmities countries 
become waste. I replied, suitably I hope, saying 
that I trusted my visit might be the means ot 
establishing a friendly intercourse between the two 
countries, as we on our part entertained the most 
amicable feelings towards the Toorks. I added 
that, when my Sovereign heard of the kind treat- 
ment extended to one of her subjects in Toorkis- 
tan, she would be extremely pleased. After this the 
Shaghawal said he must apologize for my deten- 
tion at Shahidoolla and for the incompleteness of 
the reception I had met with ; which were owing 
to my not having announced my coming before- 
hand. I stared in astonishment at this, and said, 
‘ Did not my servant, the Moonshee, deliver the 
letter and messages to the King with which he was 
charged V The Shaghawal answered, ‘ No.’ I 
replied, ‘Then I must have seemed to you guilty 
of great want of respect to the King, in not apply- 
ing beforehand for his permission to come. But in 
truth that was the very object with which I sent 
my Moonshee on before me. I request that you 
will send for him, and ask him for the casket in 
which he brought my letter for the King. I much 
regret the apparent want of respect on my part.’ 
He answered, ‘ No, no ; there is no want of re- 
spect ; I was only sorry that you should have been 
detained at Shahidoolla, and that we had not 
longer notice, so as to prepare for you a more 
honorable reception. As for the Moonshee, he is 
your servant, and will be called whenever you send 
for him.’ 


242 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ During this conversation a ‘ dastar-khan ’ had 
been spread, and tea given to me by an attendant. 
After a little further talk in rather lame Persian 
on my part, I rose to go. 

“ The Shaghawal put his hand on me to detain 
me, and in a few seconds an attendant brought in a 
rich silk robe, which was put over my shoulders as 
I took my leave. The Shaghawal also rose, and 
conducted me out by another door through a long 
room which I heard afterwards was used as a 
mosque for the royal household. At the further 
end of this he parted from me with a bow. My 
people here rejoined me. In solemn procession I 
was ushered back to my house, where all my bag- 
gage had by this time arrived. At the outer gate 
of the palace we met a person of some distinction 
on horseback. He immediately dismounted, and 
advanced to embrace me. The Yoozbashee mut- 
tered some words of introduction, and I threw my- 
self into his arms with all the fervor of a long 
friendship. To this moment I have not the slight- 
est idea as to who he was. 

“ Behind me followed a procession of the Shag- 
hawal’s servants bearing the ‘ dastar-khan’ which 
had been put before me. This appears to be the 
custom. 

“ On reaching home, 1 immediately sent for my 
Moonshee. He presently appeared, dressed in 
gorgeous robes, the gift of the Shaghawal, and I 
told him to send for the casket with the letter at 
once. I had enclosed my letter to the King which 
he had brought in a handsome little box of the 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


243 


enamelled gold which is known as Goojerat work. 
This speedily arrived, and I put it into the hands 
of the Yoozbashee without opening it, requesting 
him to give it to the Shaghawal. This I did that 
they might read the letter themselves, and see 
that I tidU spoken truth when I said I had sent be- 
forehand to ask permission of the King to come. 
About an hour afterwards the Yoozbashee return- 
ed, bringing the letter and casket back with a 
message from the Shaghawal, saying that I should 
keep them to give to the King myself when I saw 
him. However, they had evidently read the let- 
ter, which was all I wanted. 

“ My Moonshee now related to me all the cir- 
cumstances of his journey and stay at Yarkand. I 
was immensely vexed at his not having delivered 
my letter, nor apparently mentioned its purport. 
His explanation was such as to silence me for the 
time, but I still suspend my judgment regarding it. 
Mahammad Nazzar, the returning Envoy to whose 
care I had entrusted my Moonshee, had, it appears, 
turned out a regular scoundrel. He treated Diwan 
Bakhsh very badly on the journey, and after their 
arrival spread reports about his being a spy, while 
he did not even mention that I was on my way 
hither. Yet he had been full of promises of assist- 
ance to me before he left Ladak, when I gave him 
several handsome presents to secure his good-will. 
My Moonshee was, however, very well treated by 
the Shaghawal, who sent to meet him on the road, 
and caused ‘ dastar-khans’ and all the usual honors 
to be provided for him, and Mahammad Nazzar 


244 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


had fallen into disgrace for his conduct in this and 
other respects. On arriving at Yarkand, Diwan 
Bakhsh was confined to one house, he and his ser- 
vants, although otherwise provided with all they 
wanted, and presented with honorary allowances 
every day. Seeing this, and fearing that men 
would be sent to turn me back on the road if he 
mentioned my approach, he remained silent until 
he calculated that I must have reached Shahidoolla. 
Then he announced the purpose of his visit. 

“ Even put in this way, I cannot consider this 
conduct judicious. It avoided one evil, but pro- 
duced another. The long concealment must have 
seemed most suspicious to them. 

“ I now began establishing myself in my house. 
The first court-yard contains stables, with room for 
ten or twelve horses (the mangers very high even 
for a large animal). Here live my pony and my 
flock of sheep. Opposite were two or three rooms, 
which were made over to a Panjabashee (captain 
of fifty) and his lieutenant, who are appointed to 
remain in attendance on me. Here, also, all visi- 
tors are entertained while their arrival is an- 
nounced to me. There is also a raised and roofed 
floor for receiving visitors in the summer. The 
next court-yard contains a chamber, which I con- 
verted into a bathing-room for myself, and next to 
it is the kitchen, with rooms for the servants and 
for their stock of fowls. Two slaves of the Shag- 
hawal’s own household arrived to assist in the 
kitchen. At the end of the third court-yard is the 
kind of pavilion in which I myself live. Behind 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


245 


this is a small garden with a summer-house look- 
ing into it, or rather a room with an open front. 
Over the wall of the garden, about 200 yards from 
the house, the view is shut in by the battlemented 
wall of the Yang-Shahr, with little houses on it at 
intervals of sixty yards or so. A little to the left 
it is surmounted by a regular Chinese structure of 
two stories, supported on wooden pillars with the 
characteristic pagoda roof cocked up at the corners. 

“ My sitting-room is most comfortable, with a 
well carpeted floor, a spacious fire-place, just like a 
European one, and which I have never yet known 
to smoke. The walls are white, and the ceiling 
carefully papered. It has an opening for light, 
covered with the likeness of a cucumber frame 
(with thin paper instead of glass). There are also 
two windows opening down to the ground with 
double ‘ battants.’ The outer ones are composed 
of trelliswork, covered with transparent paper ; the 
inner ones form shutters to be closed at night. 
All the woodwork is painted green, and the whole 
house inside and out had been thoroughly refitted, 
whitewashed, papered, &c., for my accommodation. 
It had previously belonged to the former Gover- 
nor of Yarkand, who has only just been released 
from prison. Next door is the Shaghawal’s own 
house (he only occupies the palace during the 
King’s absence as his vicegerent). Everything is 
clean, neat, and comfortable. 

“ Before I sat down to dinner, arrived the Yooz- 
bashee again, with a crowd of servants, bringing 
furniture. First, a table (only two feet high), 


246 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


painted in bright colors with patterns. Then two 
high straight-backed arm-chairs, of which the 
seats were on a level with the table ! Next two 
bedsteads, with large thin mattresses lined with 
silk. These were for sitting on in the day as well 
as for sleeping on. Every one of these pieces of 
furniture had been made expressly for me, as none 
of them are known in Yarkand. The Toorks 
always sit on carpets, and sleep on wooden shelves 
or on mattresses on the floor. The Shaghawal had 
asked the Hindostanees in his service what were 
the requirements of Englishmen, and these pieces 
of furniture were made from their descriptions. The 
comparative height of the table and chairs is un- 
fortunate, but luckily my American folding camp- 
chair is exactly the right height for the table. The 
tall chairs I reserve for occasions of ceremony, 
seating my visitor in one and myself in the other. 
When these things had been displayed, the Yooz- 
bashee produced a skull-cap such as they all wear 
under their turban, a tall velvet cap turned up with 
fur (like his own that I described to you), an em- 
broidered silk purse or pouch of peculiar shape to 
wear at the girdle, a pair of high boots, and, finally 
a long robe of crimson silk thickly wadded, which 
he said the Shaghawal had sent for me, as the 
weather was getting cold. There was a conside- 
rateness in all this that made me feel quite friendly 
towards the old Shaghawal for the trouble he had 
taken to find out the things that would be agreea- 
ble to me.’’ 

On the loth of December, Shaw had another 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


247 


talk with the Shaghavval, which we quote as an 
excellent specimen of Oriental conversation : 

“ He said, ‘ The reason why we have not sent 
any envoy to the English is that we are ashamed 
to meet them, on account of the murder of the 
Englishman (Schlagintweit) some years ago. It 
is true the present rulers had nothing to do with 
that murder, which was committed by a madman, 
who was then in authority ; but, as he was a 
Toorkistanee, we feared the guilt might be im- 
puted to the present rulers.’ 

“ I answered that we knew the circumstances of 
the murder, and that the country was then under 
a different rule, and therefore we did not impute 
guilt to those who could have had no share in it. 
I further explained that Schlagintweit was not 
an Englishman, but that, nevertheless, we had 
been much grieved at hearing of his murder, be- 
cause he had gone from India to the place of his 
death, and had thus been a guest of ours. I added 
that it would be considered a great favor and 
kindness if any articles that had belonged to him 
could be found and given to me for his friends. 

“ The Shaghawal said, ‘ The time elapsed is so 
great that there is no chance of this, and in a 
matter of shame like this, we hope to have the 
whole matter forgotten.’ 

“ I said, ‘ That is best ; let us on both sides 
wipe away all recollections of it ; we, on our side, 
entertaining no ill-will to you for the deeds of 
another ; and you, on your part, meeting us with- 
out shame.’ 


248 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


" He laughed, and said, ‘ Good ; the matter is 
wiped away from between us.’ 

“ I said to him, ‘ God has so created our two 
countries that we seem intended for mutual friend- 
ship. He has placed between us such a mountain 
barrier that neither can entertain any jealousy or 
fear of being attacked by the other, while the 
wants of each country are supplied by the other, 
and thus the strongest incentive is offered to 
commerce.’ 

“ He cordially agreed, and said that, when 
hearts are joined, no mountains can divide ; but 
when hearts are not in unison, mountains arise 
even in the plains. 

“ I said, ‘ Although I have not been sent here 
by our rulers, yet their mind, and the mind of my 
countrymen, is known to me ; and I hoped to let 
the King know their friendly intentions and wishes. 
My reception as a private Englishman will highly 
gratify my Sovereign, as showing the honor in 
which our country is held.’ 

“ He said, ‘ If you had come in the name of the 
Lord Sahib,* or bringing a letter from him, any 
attentions we might show you would be thought 
to be given to him, and with some object in view. 
But now it is plain to all men that we bestow 
honor on you for your own sake, and out of pure 
friendship to your nation. As you are friends and 
allies of the Sultan-i-Room (who is the chief of 
our religion), we already felt great friendship for 


• The Viceroy of India. 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


249 


the English ; and thus, when a friend came and 
shook our door, we at once said, “ Come in.” As 
for the attentions paid you, they are nothing, and 
we are, only ashamed we could not do more for 
you.’ 

“ I said that I was hoping for a speedy interview 
^with the King, and hoped to be the means of 
establishing great friendship between the two 
countries. 

“ He said, ‘ If you want to go on quickly to 
Kashghar, I will write and get the King’s orders ; 
but it is not my part as host to say to my guest, 
“ Move on.” However, if it is your own wish, it 
shall be done. As host, I say to you, “ Stay and 
rest from the fatigues of your journey.” ’ 

“ I said, ‘ I don’t feel in any way tired, thanks 
to the comfort in which I have been brought 
along, and I am ready at any moment, by day or 
night, to start on a visit to the King. I shall feel 
no fatigue in anything which conduces to bring 
me before him.’ 

“ He said, ‘ Good ; I will get his orders for your 
journey.’ ” 

The same day the Yoozbashee left Yarkand, 
and Shaw accidentally discovered, from one of the 
ather officials, that he had gone to Kashghar, to 
see the King. This was a promising sign, and 
Shaw would have been contented to wait, but for 
his irksome confinement to the house and court- 
yard. When he made application to be allowed 
to ride out into the country, the polite answer 
was : “ It is the custom in this country that no 


250 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


guest goes anywhere out of doors before seeing 
the King.” He went once upon the roof of the 
house, but this was immediately reported, and he 
prudently refrained from going again. His ser- 
vants, however, were allowed to go into the bazar, 
and purchase the necessary supplies. 

“On the 15th one of the officers came with an 
English letter from Hayward to the King, and a 
request that Shaw would translate it. He accord- 
ingly put it into Persian, and made his agent write 
it out fairly. The latter stated that Hayward had 
come 8,000 miles for the purpose of trading, and 
requested permission to enter the country for that 
purpose. Reports were also brought to Shaw that 
Hayward was on his way from Shahidoolla to 
Yarkand, and he was closely questioned in regard 
to the latter’s character and purposes. His per- 
sistent denial of any knowledge of, or connection 
with him, seemed finally to make an impression 
upon the authorities. 

On the 20th, Shaw writes : “ This morning 
the Yoozbashee came to say that the Governor 
was ready to receive me, and whispered to my 
servant Jooma : ‘The gifts may be brought now.’ 
Nothing was ready, as I had had no notice. How- 
ever I got together in a great hurry a rifle, revolver, 
pink silk turban, some cloth, and one hundred and 
twenty pounds of tea, and off we went to the 
palace. In presenting my gifts to the Shaghawal, 
I said I hoped he would accept them, though they 
were not such as I should have vvished to give 
him, had my caravan arrived. He seemed very 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


251 


much pleased, and said that I should not have 
given them, but that, as I had done so, he ac- 
cepted them with great pleasure. 

“He then said he had written to the King to 
announce my desire to go to him, and that he 
expected the answer in a day or two, when I 
should go to Kashghar and tell the King all I 
wished to say. 

“I said, ‘I know the feelings and wishes of our 
nation with regard to you, although I am a mer- 
chant, and not sent by the Lord Sahib, who could 
not send an envoy until one should come from 
you.’ 

“ He answered, ‘ We have not sent one because 
we were ashamed of the murder of Schlagintweit ; 
but the Lord Sahib was not ashamed of anything ; 
why did he not send an envoy first 

“I laughed, and said, ‘Well, now that I have 
explained matters, I hope there will be a constant 
interchange of envoys, and of all good offices be- 
tween us and you.’ 

“ He replied, ‘As for seeing the King, I trust the 
orders will come in a few days. Formerly, the 
King used to transact all business at Yarkand ; 
but now that he has transferred his seat of govern- 
ment to Kashghar, I believe he will send for me to 
be there with him also. I have detained Shaw 
Sahib at Ydrkand, that I might make his acquain- 
tance and friendship ; for if he had gone on 
directly to Kashghar, he would have forgotten me 
quickly.’ 

“ I answered, ‘ There is no fear of that, after 


252 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


your kindness to me ; and I am delighted to hear 
of your coming to Kashghar, as I shall have a 
friend there to assist me by his advice.’ 

“ He said, ‘ I fear my going will be rather 
delayed, whereas yours will probably be in a few 
days.’ ” 

As Christmas approached, Shaw ordered his 
servants to buy a joint of beef in the bazar. There- 
upon he received a long and ceremonious message 
from the Governor, to the effect that he must ask 
the latter for all he wanted, and get nothing out 
of the city, — that he had heard of the approaching 
festival, and would supply everything himself. 
Accordingly, on Christmas Day, twelve men 
appeared, bringing an enormous ‘ dastar-khan,’ two 
silk robes, and a cap. The agent also brought 
twenty different kinds of bread made in Yarkand. 
In the evening Shaw sent the Governor a gold 
pencil-case for himself and a gold-enamelled 
revolver for the King, and received in return a 
handsome garnet ring. 

On the 29th, Shaw gave a dinner or rather 
breakfast party in state — for it was the fast-month 
of Ramazan, during which no good Mussulman 
touches food until after sunset. The guests, who 
were the Yoozbashee and three or four other offi- 
cers, arrived about five o’clock. “ Before breaking 
the fast, it is necessary to go through a form of 
prayers. Accordingly a large sheet was spread on 
the carpets (my table had been taken out of the 
room), and the Yoozbashee began the call to pray- 
ers, motioning to my Moonshee to take the front 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


252 


place as ‘ Imam,’ or leader of the devotions. This 
is a piece of politeness, implying the superiority ot 
the person so put forward. The others, standing 
behind, take their time from him. Diwan Bakhsh 
accordingly faced towards the Kiblah and went 
through the usual Mussulman prayers. At inter- 
vals the leader utters aloud the word Allah, at 
which all prostrate themselves with their foreheads 
to the ground. Sometimes he repeats some verses 
of the Koran in a low voice, but the greater part 
of the time there is silence, each man saying his 
prayers within himself, kneeling down and rising up 
again according to the motions of the leader. 
Meanwhile, I was sitting in my chair by the fire, and 
each guest, as he finished his prayers, came and sat 
down by me. 

“ When all were ready, some white table-cloths 
were spread on the ground in front of us, and I 
left my chair and seated myself, Toorkee fashion, 
near the fire. Next to me sat the Yoozbashee, 
then my Moonshee, Diwan Bakhsh, then my former 
Mihmandar of Shahidoolla, who has just arrived 
here with Hayward. Then four more Panjabashees, 
who attend on me, so forming two sides of a square. 
Before anything else, the fast was ceremoniously 
broken by eating a piece of bread dipped in salt. 
I gave them a kind of mixed dinner ; mainly 
English dishes, but lots of their own to fall back 
upon in case of necessity. I luckily had a few tins 
of English soup left, after which came pigeon-pie, 
roast-fowls, legs of mutton, &c., and then apple- 
tart with cream, and plum-pudding. But they 


254 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


evidently relished most a huge pilao of rice, boiled 
mutton, and sliced carrots, which seems to be 
their usual dinner. Finally, a dessert of grapes, 
melons, apples, pears, pomegranates, &c. At this 
the Yoozbashee exclaimed to the servants, 
Halloh, you should have brought this in first ! ’ I 
could not get him to use a knife and fork, but he 
consented to take a spoon for the apple-tart. We 
finished up with tea and coffee. The latter they 
did not know, and would not drink.” 

On the last day of the year 1868, Shaw received 
a dinner of a different kind from any that had been 
sent before. First came an immense vessel of real 
Irish stew, very savory and good ; the principal 
vegetable it contained was a large kind of “ gram,” 
like yellow peas. The other dish was a large 
sweet omelette, with molasses, and both were 
enough to have fed twenty men. Afterwards 
came a smaller bowl of whipped cream and eggs. 

“No sooner,” he writes, “had I finished dinner 
than in came the band. The chief musician had a 
kind of harpsichord [dulcimer;*], like a miniature 
piano without any keys, played with a pointed 
instrument in the right hand, while the left hand 
follows its motions, stopping the vibration of the 
wires. Next to him sat a man with a long-necked 
guitar, called a ‘ citar,’ played with a bow like a 
violoncello. It has nine strings, but only one is 
played upon, the rest being depressed below its 
level, and helping to swell the tone of the instru- 
nici t The third musician blew upon a sort of 
slender fife, while the other three had tamborin.s, 







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MISICIAX? OF YaUKAMi 



RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


255 


and also accompanied the music with their voices. 
It struck me that their playing was much superior 
to that of India and even of Cashmeer. There was 
a precision about it, an exactitude of time and 
tune, which showed great proficiency. You will 
say I am no good judge in matters of music, and I 
confess that my opinion regarding a new opera 
would not be very valuable. But I think even I 
may be able to judge of Oriental music. 

“ There was one extraordinary creature, the first 
singer. He had thick red moustaches hanging 
down from the corners of his mouth, and shaggy 
eyebrows with colorless eyes. His jaw was shaped 
much like that of the ‘Wild Boar of the Ardennes,’ 
whom Sir Walter Scott describes in ‘Quentin Dur- 
ward.’ Altogether he bore a most grotesquely 
ferocious aspect, and sang with hideous contortions 
of the face. He is just the kind of ogre that one 
might dream of in a nightmare. His next-door 
neighbor, the second singer, was a signal contrast 
— fat, jolly, peaceable-looking, and might stand 
for one of the sleek citizens of Liege whom Quentin 
Durward delivered from the Wild Boar’s power. 
The requirements of the music were evidently too 
much for this personage. His fat cheeks shook 
with the exertion of beating the tamborine and 
singing up to time. The contrast between these 
two afforded amusement to all of us ; for I had a 
select party assembled to hear the music.” 

On New-Year’s Day, 1869, Shaw wrote : “ The 
weather here is beautifully bright and clear, al- 
though quite cold enough to suit one’s ideas of the 


256 


CENTRAL AS[A. 


season. To-day, the mean temperature of the air 
has been fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. Water 
freezes the moment it touches the ground, and all 
articles of food become as hard as stone. It is a 
curious illustration of the climate of Toorkistan 
that grapes grown in the villages round Yarkand 
now daily appear on my table, hard frozen. 
Yesterday I had some dipped into hot water to 
thaw, but as they lay on my table near a bright 
fire, they froze together into a mass, owing to the 
wetness of their outside. Cold pie has to be re- 
baked before it can be cut. Yet, with all this, I 
have not yet for one moment felt even chilly, such 
is the dryness and stillness of the air, and the 
warmth of the long Toorkee robes, or ‘jamas,’ 
which I now wear. Besides, we have been accli- 
matized by the intense cold experienced on our 
journey, when wine froze into blocks, bursting the 
bottles, so that I had to break off pieces of claret 
to put into my glass, and the men used to go off 
to fetch zvater with a hatchet and a rope. There it 
was the fierce wind which chilled one’s bones. By 
contrast, the present still cold is like paradise. 

“ To-day I heard an anecdote of the King, which 
shows the energetic nature of the man, and his dis- 
regard of the Oriental notions of dignity. The 
messenger who took the first news of my Moon- 
shee’s approach found him on the Artash Pass, be- 
yond Kashghar, personally superintending the 
erection of a fort to defend the road. He was 
covered with dust, and had just had his leg hurt by 
the fall of a stone. The messenger could not dis- 


RESIDENCE IN YARKAND. 


257 


cover which was the King, but the latter perceived 
him, and called to him to bring his dispatches, 
which he read and answered on the spot.” 

By this time it was evident, from hints dropped 
by the officials, that Shaw would be received by 
the King, and would therefore be sent on to Kash- 
ghar. This was a piece of good fortune which he 
could hardly have anticipated, on leaving Leh. 
The journey would enable him to see nearly all the 
inhabited part of Central Asia lying along the 
eastern base of the great mountain-chains which 
bound all this region on the south, west and north. 
On the third day of January, the permission came, 
accompanied with additional tokens of kindness : 

“ This morning, before I had breakfasted,” he 
quotes from his journal, “ the Yoozbashee arrived 
with a large packet of silks and brocades for me 
to give as presents to the King, &c., according to 
an arrangement which we came to yesterday. 
Nominally, these things are merely lent to me, 
and are to be replaced by my own things when 
they arrive. After showing me all the stuffs, he 
gave me the welcome news that I was to start for 
Kashghar to-morrow. All this he communicated 
through my two attendants who talk Persian. 
After this, sending them both out of the room, he 
produced from the breast of his robe a packet con- 
taining eleven lumps of stamped silver (called 
‘ kooroos ’) one full-sized one, and ten small ones, 
equal in value to another kooroos. The whole is 
worth about 35/. He whispered to me to put them 
away out of sight, and that the Governor had sent 


258 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


them to me, thinking I might be in want of ready 
mone)’’ for use. Having said this, he ran away with 
his usual imitation of an English military salute, 
which I have taught him. I am evidently intended 
to suppose that this is a private act of friendliness 
on the part of the Governor. It is very thoughtful 
on their part, as I certainly was in want of ready 
money. They will not allow me to have recourse 
to my only source of supply, viz., the sale of the 
goods which I had brought for that purpose. I 
should have seriously felt the inconvenience had 
it not been that they supply me with every sort of 
food in quantities sufficient to feed a troop of cav- 
alry, so that all the dervishes of Yarkand, in their 
tall caps, make my gate a daily place of call, and 
the families, friends, and horses of my attendant 
officers are entirely maintained by me. Besides 
this, I daily receive about seventeen shillings in 
small change (50 ‘tanga’). I have not yet men- 
tioned that the chief money of Toorkistan consists 
of small copper coins, with a square hole in the 
middle [like the Chinese casJt\. Ofthese, 25 make 
one tanga (about 40^), and they are ran on strings, 
containing 20 tangas’ worth on each string. These 
strings are the common currency, from which 
smaller sums are detached at will. I receive two 
strings and a half every day ” (about four dollars). 


CHAPTER XIV. 


THE JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 

O N the morning of January 4th a handsome 
gray horse from the Governor’s stables was 
brought to Shaw, and he was told to prepare at 
once for the journey to Kashghar. All his 
servants were provided with horses, and there were 
others for the baggage, making twenty-seven in 
all, besides those of the Yoozbashee and his at- 
tendants. The first start is always accompanied 
by many delays, and they did not get away from 
Yarkand until noon. Shaw must be allowed, as 
far as space will permit, to describe the journey in 
his own words : 

“We rode along part of one side of the new 
city, and the whole of another side. I thus had an 
opportunity of inspecting the defences. From the 
road there slopes up a small glacis to the brink of 
the ditch, which is about twenty feet deep, and of 
equal width, reveted on both sides with sun-dried 
bricks. The escarpe or inner side rises into a 
battlemented earthen wall, which is hidden from 
an advancing enemy by the glacis, leaving only 
the machicoulis along the top visible, from which 


26 o 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


musketry fire might be directed on to the slope of 
the glacis. Inside this wall is another ditch, from 
which rises the main wall of the town. Counting 
from the crest of the glacis, the main wall is about 
thirty or thirty-five feet high, and the same in 
thickness at that level. At intervals of about 
si.xty yards, there are square projections to afford 
a flanking fire, while at the corner there is a regular 
bastion, surmounted by a fort two or three stories 
high. Near the gate the wall is immensely 
strengthened, being (at a guess) fifty feet thick 
there. An outwork protects the gate, being con- 
nected with the wall which divides the two ditches. 
Through this a second gate (not opposite the 
inner one) leads out into the space between the 
two cities. Pagoda-like buildings rise at intervals 
above the wall, especially over the gateways. 

“ We continued our march westward, — the small 
mosques constantly met with along the road form 
most convenient indicators of the direction, point- 
ing out as they do the course towards Mecca, 
which, in Toorkistan, is made very slightly south 
of west. They use a small compass for this pur- 
pose, with an arm pointing west. Some three 
miles out, we halted for the Yoozbashee, and then 
proceeded with him through a thickly peopled 
country. 

“ However, about six miles from Yarkand, we 
suddenly entered upon a tract consisting of sand- 
hills covered with coarse grass. This tract we 
crossed transversely for eight miles, but its width 
straight across must be much less. It bears the 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 26l 

appearance of having been brought down by some 
large flood of water, and so heaped upon the fertile 
plains. In the middle we crossed a wide depres- 
sion, extending as far as we could see right and 
left, and filled with marshes and pools of water, 
with a small rivulet connecting them. This may 
have been the latest channel of the torrent which 
brought down the sand ; as we often see, when a 
stream of water has been poured on to light soil 
of any kind, it carries a quantity down with it, 
heaping it up in front of itself and at its sides, 
leaving, when it dries, a raised ridge with a de- 
pressed channel down the centre. 

“ Emerging from this raised sandy country, we 
came out upon a plain sloping upwards to the foot 
of a range of mountains, which were now visible 
(about twelve miles distant, they say, to the 
west), apparently running north and south. As 
I write down this distance, I am forcibly struck by 
the contrast between the climate of this country 
and of India. For it is twelve miles from Kangra 
to the range of the outer Himalaya, and at Kangra 
they seem to overhang the town. Every gorge 
and every rock could be counted, one would think, 
so distinctly are the forms visible. But here, at a 
distance of twelve miles, the Pamir Mountains 
appear to be a distant range, of which the outline 
only is distinguishable.* 

“ The sloping plain at their foot is dotted with 
villages, more sparsely, however, than the country 

* On my return, I found that the real crest of the range is very 
mivh farther hack than twelve miles. 


262 • - CENTRAL ASIA. 

round Yarkand. What secrets are hid among 
those mountains, which so few European eyes 
have ever looked upon ! At this point they seem 
scarcely to deserve their appellation of ‘ Bam-i- 
doonya' or, ‘ Upper Floor of the World.’ A lower 
range is chiefly visible, a long, almost level line, 
while the giants of the range rise behind it, form- 
ing in appearance a higher and more distant chain. 
The Yoozbashee pointed to the mountains due 
west, and said, ‘ Beyond these lies Badakhshan ; 
again, a little more to the right, Bokhara ; still 
farther, where the range disappears in the dis- 
tance, is the road to my own country, Andijan ; 
while to the north, where no mountains are 
visible from here, is Russia (Siberia).’ I learnt 
from him that the King’s dominions extend far up 
the valleys of this chain to the confines of Bad- 
akhshan ; they are full of nomad inhabitants, and 
contain many villages. The only name which he 
could give me for the range was that of ‘Kizil- 
tagh ’ — ‘ Red Mountain,’ evidently a mere local 
appellation. Orientals, as has often been re- 
marked, are bad at generalization. They will 
have a name for every part, but none for the 
whole. 

“ Turning N. N. W., after a halt for prayers, we 
rode about four miles further through fields, and 
then were met by the Beg of Kokh-robat, who, 
after dismounting and taking my hand, escorted us 
into the large village of that name. It contains 
two serais, the larger of which was full of two- 
humped camels and bales of merchandise. In the 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 2t)3 

court-yards of the houses I here observed, for the 
first time, open carts used in fieldwork by the coun- 
try people. I forgot to mention that we had met 
several ‘ arabahs’ on the road with three or four 
horses a piece (never more than one wheeler, all 
the rest harnessed abreast as leaders, and driven 
with reins from the cart). Passing through the 
bazar, at a distance of a few hundred yards farther 
we entered a large square surrounded by high bat- 
tlemented walls newly built ; thence into a second 
large court containing a garden, and having a range 
of buildings at one side. I was shown into a large 
room with carpets and a fire. My agent and the 
servants were equally well lodged. The Yooz- 
bashee told me that this was a kind of royal rest- 
house, built by the present King for his own pri- 
vate use on his journeys. There are similar ones all 
the way to Kashghar. They are called ‘ oorda.’ 
Snow is lying in all sheltered spots, two or three 
inches deep, while the sloping plain and the moun- 
tains beyond are thinly covered with it. The cold 
is intense ; the bitter wind made my agent quite 
ill, while even the Yoozbashee complained that his 
feet had no feeling left. Thanks to the Governor’s 
fur-robe, I did not feel the least chilled. 

“ Our conversation during the day fell upon the 
subject of the Governor. He has the reputation of 
being immensely learned ; my own acquaintance 
with him has shown me that he takes an interest 
in subjects which are utterly ignored by the ma- 
jority of his countrymen. It appears that he was 
formerly chief secretary to the Khan of Khokand. 


204 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


His fame has been great ever since the day Avhen 
he wrote such a letter in his master’s name to the 
Ameer of Bokhara that none of the moollahs in 
that country could understand it ! This seems to 
be considered the acme of learning in Central Asia; 
the fulness of light ends in darkness ! When first 
my agent reached Yarkand, the Gov ,‘rnor tested 
him in the same manner, though, I presume, with 
less severity, and put men to watch whether he 
read his letters with ease. 

“ The next day our course lay north-west, 
through a stony desert at the foot of the mountains. 
During part of the way we had a jungle of low 
scrub on our right, which is said to reach all the 
way to Aksoo, and to be full of wild beasts, tigers, 
&c. About halfway we stopped at a solitary 
‘ serai,’ with a mosque and two wells (nearly lOO 
feet deep). This had all been built by the present 
King, who seems to be doing a great deal for the 
good of the country. Several arabahs had stopped 
here to feed the horses, and the women were peep- 
ing out at the stranger and his party. They be- 
longed to the better classes, and were extremely 
fair-complexioned, but with black hair. They re- 
minded me of Rubens’ women in shape, so different 
from the dark, almond-eyed beauties of India. Op- 
posite this place the outer and nearer range of hills 
on our left began to trend away westward, while 
the higher chain behind was invisil)le in the haze. 
However, just before reaching our destination, we 
saw it agaiist the sky rising into several very 
high peaks. Apparently it had continued in one 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 



“ Before reaching our night’s resting-place, we 
came upon a solitary ruined mosque, and a dry 
tank in the desert. The Yoozbashee took me off 
the road to see them, and told me that the mosque 
had been first put there by Chenghiz Khan while 
marching to the conquest of Toorkistan ! The 
tank was such as he made at all his desert halting- 
places. Water sufficient for his vast hordes was 
v:arried on camels, and when they encamped, a 
tank was dug and filled witli this w ater for the use 


265 

straight line, although the lower range in front ol 
it had receded westw'ard. 


266 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


of the men and cattle. Such is their tradition 
They say also that he had a tent large enough to 
accommodate 10,000 men, and there he entertained 
hosts of guests, and had tea served to them in cups 
made of precious stones ! 

“While conversing thus, we came upon cultiva- 
ted land, and presently entered the large village 
of Kizil. This word signifies ‘ red,’ a name well 
deserved by the color of the soil. My surmise that 
there m.ust be iron in it was speedily verified by 
the sight of several furnaces for smelting the ore. 

“ During the whole day there was a bitter wind 
from the north, almost directly in our faces. The 
Yoozbashee asked me whether I should prefer to 
put up in the royal ‘ oorda,’ where the rooms are 
large and cold, or in a house in the little town, 
which would be warmer. I chose the latter, as I 
would not miss tlve opportunity of seeing as much 
as I can of the people. We were received by an 
officer whose features at once struck me as some- 
thing different from the regular Toorkee type. He 
had a long aquiline nose and large round eyes, 
while his features were finer and his face less fleshy. 
Hearing him outside my door talking nothing but 
Persian as he gave his directions for procuring all 
he wanted, I inquired who he was. They told me 
he was a Tajik from Andijan, one of the race akin 
to the Persians, who held the country before the 
Tartar invasion. I was very an.xious to have a 
talk with him, as the first specimen of his race 
that I have seen, but could not get hold of him 
when I was at leisure. 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 


26^ 


“ In the evening the village-boys amused them- 
selves by sliding on the frozen tank, as in England. 
Starting, the next morning, through a large crowd 
of the inhabitants, assembled as usual to witness 
our departure, we travelled still north-west through 
a country of mixed cultivation and waste or pas- 
ture. The Yoozbashee pointed out to me a large 
barrow on the right side of the road, where he 
said were buried the Chinese dead who fell in a 
battle that took place here twelve years ago. The 
Mussulman soldiers of Walle Khan, who were 
killed on the same occasion, are buried in nume- 
rous graves on the left of the road. One of our 
party, Sadoo Khoja, an old soldier who was with 
me at Shahidoolla, had been present at the battle. 
Walle Khan was defeated, and fled to Kashghar, 
where he had built a house of human skulls, as also 
at Yanghissar. The armies are said to have 
numbered 50,000 on each side ; but part of the 
Chinese were stationed at places nearer Yarkand, 
and I cannot make out the actual numbers engaged. 
The Chinese were all infantry, the Andijanees 
cavalry. 

“ The mountains continued parallel with our 
route, which ran about north-west. After riding 
not quite three tash (say fourteen miles), we halted 
at a village full of ironworks. I was taken to a 
house where the large room was given up to me, 
the family retiring into some inner apartments. A 
bustling, good-humored farmer’s wife did the hon- 
ors, and was very grateful to me for interceding 
with the Yoozbashee, who wished to turn her 


268 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


whole household out of doors. A few presents of 
tea, meat and bread (from my dastar-khan), were 
received with numerous Allaho-akbers, and a re- 
turn present of a melon. Later in the day, at the 
tinie of breaking the fast, her husband advanced, 
bringing me a basin of hot macaroni soup, while 
she brought me a newly baked cake of bread ; 
both very good indeed. Basins of soup were also 
given to my Hindoo servants, who, although un- 
able to eat of it, at a hint from me took the basins 
with a bow, and, going out, handed them over to 
the other servants. The household arrangements 
are quite as good as those of an English small 
farmer and his family. Neat and clean earthen- 
ware dishes placed on the shelves ; large, well 
made, and ornamented wardrobe boxes — every- 
thing comfortable and well-to-do. The entrance 
is through a regular farm-yard, with sheds for the 
cattle on one side, littered down with straw, closed 
stables for the horses, cocks and hens strutting 
about, and all the tillage implements standing up 
in corners. The hay and Straw are stacked on the 
roofs, while a door leads out into a walled orchard. 
To make the scene more homelike, snow is lying 
an inch or two deep over the whole country, and 
the roadside pond is hard frozen, with village boys 
cutting out slides on it in their hob-nailed boots. 

“ In the afternoon, I went a little way down the 
lane to see an iron-smelting furnace at work. It 
is just like a dice-box, four or five feet high, with a 
roof over it, leaving an exit in the middle for the 
smoke Round the dice-box, under the roof, sit 


yOURXEY TO KARIIGHAR. 


269 


six boys and girls blowing skin bellows with each 
hand — twelv'^e bellows in all. An opening shows 
the glowing mass with a stream of molten stuff 
slowly .oozing downwards. A pit two feet deep 
shows the bricked-up door of the furnace, through 
which '.he metal is extracted daily. The ore is 
broken up by a man with a hammer, who keeps 
throvv'ng it in at the chimney, while another sup- 
plies charcoal through the same opening. No 
third substance. T wenty • charaks’ ’ weight(sixteen 
lbs. each) of ore, and the same quantity of charcoal, 
arc used in the twenty-four hours, and the produce 
is about four ‘charaks ’ of iron. The metal is very 
good and fine-grained, looking almost like steel 
when made up into tools. In the hill-districts of 
India, where magnetic oxide of iron is found, the 
process is almost the same ; but the blast is much 
less, only two people blowing one skin in each 
hand, or four bellows instead of twelve. The mol- 
ten metal also is taken out hot, and hammered, 
while here, in Toorkistan, it is allowed to cool for 
a whole night before the furnace is opened. The 
ore is a black-looking stone (got by digging from 
the mountains fifteen or twenty miles off), which 
breaks square, or with straight edges. Returning 
from this furnace, we were amused at watching an 
urchin four or five years old who had brought a 
donkey to drink at the pond. Although his home 
was only twenty yards off, he would not walk ; but 
his difficulty was in mounting the donkey. First 
he tried to swarm up its forelegs, but as that would 
not do, he took it to the wall, and then climbed 


270 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


triumphantly on to its back. Then seating him- 
self almost on the tail (as one sees in England), he 
whipped him up into a donkey’s gallop, and disap- 
peared into a neighboring farm-yard. They begin 
their riding habits early in Toorkistan. 

“ In the afternoon, two officers of the Beg of 
Y ang-hissar were brought to me by the Y oozbashee. 
They began by embracing me, and said they had 
been sent to welcome me. Presently they re- 
turned, bringing a dastar-khan and a fine sheep, 
and making excuses for not offering more, as 
nothing could be got in this village. My poor 
Yoozbashee is quite powerless here, being out of 
the immediate government of his relative, the Gov- 
ernor. He could hardly get anything for himself 
even, so I sent him half a sheep, &c. — a strange 
turning of the tables. 

“ The next morning (the 7th) I went out to ex- 
amine the neighboring iron-smelting furnace which 
had just been opened in order to take out the pig 
of iron, the result of yesterday’s smelting. All 
night the furnace had been allowed to cool, and 
about eight o’clock the hearth was opened, and 
the mass of metal, still warm, was removed from 
the bottom. The hearth slopes towards the front, 
where it terminates in a narrow neck. Before 
being charged again, it is lined with some sort ol 
fire-clay. The furnace itself is wider at the bot- 
tom, slightly diminishing in diameter as it ascends. 

“ Here again the villagers were full of curiosity 
regarding my habits. They asked my agent 
whether I did not get tired sitting up always on a 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 


271 


chair ! They are much struck, too, at the number 
of dishes and plates which I require at my meals. 
They themselves use only one large dish between 
four or five of them to eat from. 

“ I started with my party from the farm-house, 
and was joined by the Yoozbashee and his fol- 
lowers outside of the village. Riding still in a 
direction more west than north, and parallel with 
the range of high mountains on our left, we gradu- 
ally converged towards the long low edge of sand- 
hills which had been dimly visible yesterday to 
our right. After passing through alternate grassy 
plains (now dry and withered looking) and vil- 
lage cultivation for two tash, we halted at a solitary 
‘ langar ’ (or rest-house) on the edge of the sandy 
track. While sitting before a fire here, we were 
joined by a Mirza-bashee, or chief of scribes, who 
had been sent to meet me. With him we rode 
the rest of the way to Yang-hissar. 

“ First we crossed transversely the lines of sand- 
hills. Their ridges much resembled the waves 
of the sea when subsiding after a storm, as they 
come rolling in to the shore in long lines divided 
by broad spaces of almost level water. There was 
the same order apparent through the same con- 
fusion, and the size is about the same. These hills 
are composed of stratified sand, assuming in some 
of the ridges the consistency of stone, and dip- 
ping north. The spaces between were now cov- 
ered with withered vegetation. After riding about 
five miles slantingly through this tract, we came 
to the fertile banks of a small river which had cut 


272 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


for itself a gorge through the hill. The regular 
bridge was broken, but we crossed on the ice, 
where a gang of laborers were employed in strewing 
earth on it as a road for us. They had also thrown 
a temporary bridge from the ice to the shore across 
a space where the current had not allowed the 
water to freeze. Our party was joined by the 
officials in charge of the work. 

“ Ascending the high bank of the river, we found 
ourselves in a well populated district, still, however, 
traversed by the low ridges of sand. Crossing the 
last of these, we saw at our feet a charming land- 
scape which reminded me of the Vale ofCashmere, 
an illusion supported by the sight of the snowy 
mountains behind us and to our left. As far as 
the eye could see, there stretched a highly culti- 
v'ated plain, to which orchards and grov'es of trees 
surrounding the numerous scattered homesteads 
gave almost the appearance of a wood. A little 
way out on the plain, the orchards and houses 
crowded m.ore thickly together pointed out the 
town of Yang-hissar. We reached this plain by a 
rapid descent of about fifty yards, and then rode 
through a country resembling the suburbs of a 
large city. In one house the walls were orna- 
mented with drawings of steamers and railway 
trains ! Before we entered the streets, however, 
we turned aside to the left, and rode along under 
the high mud walls of the old town. Leaving this, 
and preceded by the Mirza-bashee and the offi- 
cials, I was led to one of the royal rest-houses, 
consisting as usual of a large walled enclosure. 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 


273 


with court-yards and ranges of good-sized rooms. 
The ‘new-town’ or fort appeared about half a 
mile to our right and the same distance from the 
old town. In dimensions it resembles a large fort 
rather than a town. To me was assigned a room 
handsomely carpeted, with large cushion-mat- 
tresses covered with silk arranged along the walls, 
and near the fire, for myself and my visitors to sit 
on. My servants and the agent were lodged in 
other apartments of the same building, but the 
Yoozbashee had to take up his quarters in a neigh- 
boring farm-house, although there was plenty of 
room for him. Apparently it is only the King’s 
guest who is allowed to lodge in the royal rest- 
house. Our acquaintance of yesterday ushered 
in a large dastar-khan, sheep, fowls, &c. I hear 
that he is one of the King’s principal ‘ masters of 
the ceremonies,’ sent to see the proper etiquette 
followed. At the Yoozbashee’s suggestion, I gave 
him a ‘ khilat,’ or robe, and another as to the 
secretary. 

“ In the afternoon arrived the officer to whom I 
had given a present on the first night after leaving 
Yarkand. I afterwards learnt he was a relative of 
the King. The Yoozbashee now brought him to 
pay me a visit. He said he had gone on to Yar- 
kand on some business to the Governor in connec- 
tion with the issue of warm clothing to the troops. 
The Governor had instructed him to join my 
party, and accompany me on, unless orders came 
from the King for me to delay at Yang-hissar. As 
to this, my agent was in the afternoon told by the 


274 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


master of the ceremonies that he had received 
orders for me to sleep two nights here, and go on 
the next day. So I suppose I shall have the 
company of my friend, the King’s relative, during 
the rest of the journey. He seems a very good 
fellow, as hearty and good-humored as the Yooz- 
bashee, and, as I told him, I hope to improve in 
my Persian by having him to talk to. 

“The same afternoon, while strolling about the 
neighborhood, I happened to come across the 
Yoozbashee’s temporary dwelling-place, and saw 
him standing outside. He shouted to me to come, 
brought me in, and made me sit down by the fire 
to drink tea while he washed his face and arms 
according to rule, and said his evening prayers. In 
the intervals of his devotions, after turning his 
head right and left to salute the two angels who 
are supposed to sit on each shoulder of a Mussul- 
man, he interrupted himself to call for more tea 
and more sugar for Shaw Sahib, and then contin- 
ued his chant of ‘ Bismillah-ar-rahman-ar-raheem.’ 
He made me stay, and join in his meal ; first 
breaking the fast by dipping a finger in a cup of 
salt and water, and putting it to his mouth. Not 
till after this is done does it become lawful to eat 
other food. He gave me a bowl of soup contain- 
ing little lumps of paste tasting like macaroni. He 
was v'ery anxious that I should stay to join in the 
great pilao of rice and mutton that was preparing, 
but I vith difficulty excused myself, saying it was 
getting dark, and I should not find my way home. 

“ On the morning of the 8th, my Moonshee was 


JOURNEY TO KASHGIIAR. 


275 


visited by a moollah who said he had been present 
when Schlagintweit was killed. He came before 
Walle Khan, who was then besieging the Chinese 
new town or fort at Kashghar. Schlagintweit 
asked how long he had been so engaged. Walle 
Khan answered, ‘Three months.’ — ‘Oh,’ rejoined 
Schlagintweit, ‘my countrymen would take the 
place in three days. There is no difficulty at 
all.’ — ‘Indeed,’ replied the chief; and, turning 
round, he gave orders to take the Frank out, and 
cut his throat. The moollah says that Walle 
Khan was a regular demon, far different from the 
present King. Schlagintweit was taken to the 
banks of the Kashghar River, and there killed. In 
his pocket were found a compass and a watch. The 
executioner offered them to the moollah, who says 
he refused them. 

“ To resume my day’s report. In the afternoon 
I took a walk round the neighborhood. The fields 
are all covered with snow an inch or two thick, 
and the numerous ponds are all hard frozen. The 
water-courses (artificial) are very numerous, being 
led under and over one another to suit different 
levels. They are at this season nearly all dry, 
water being only let into them when required for 
irrigation. The stubble of the Indian corn appears 
through the snow, that having been the last crop 
in the fields round here. On returning I was 
shouted to by the Yoozbashee, while I was mak- 
ing my agent, to his own horror, w'alk across a 
frozen sheet of water, a thing he had never in his 
life before had a chance of doing. The Yoozbashee 


2/6 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


had a carpet spread for me outside his farm-house 
on a raised earthen platform, such as are common 
in the East for sitting on out of doors. He was 
examining the country through my opera-glass, 
which he had sent for. 

“My servants visited the town during the day. 
From gate to gate it is over IIOO paces long, but 
the suburbs outside the wall double the size of the 
town. It was the weekly market-day, and crowds 
flocked in the streets. My servants found two 
fellow-countrymen (Hindoo traders) at the serai, 
and described with much laughter a long row of 
bullocks’ carcases that were hanging just opposite 
their doors. Travelling subdues prejudices won- 
derfully ; who would have thought of Hindoos 
making a joke of such a circumstance ! 

“ The lOth of January we remained at Yang- 
hissar, and I took a long walk to the first ridge of 
the low hills. These hills I find run exactly east 
and west here, and appear parallel to the range of 
snowy mountains. I measured the ice of a tank ; 
it was eight inches thick ! In the afternoon it was 
announced that we should march next morning. 
Accordingly, on the nth, we travelled about 
twenty-five miles, as far as the village ofYepchang. 
The country consists alternately of village lands 
inder culture, and of grassy plains covered with 
tattle and horses. We crossed the River Koosoon 
by a wooden bridge at a narrow spot ; above and 
below this place it was about fifty or sixty yards 
wide, and is said to be dangerous to cross on ac- 
count of quicksands. Now it was nearly cn- 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 


277 


tirely frozen over. En route we met Mahammad 
Isak Jan, the brother of the Governor of Yarkand. 
We dismounted, and embraced very cordially. As 
he was on his way back to Yarkand (having gone 
to Kashghar since I have been on the road), I gave 
him many polite messages for his brother. About 
two o’clock we stopped for prayers at a cottage 
where they could get warm water for their ab- 
lutions. There was a child four or five years old 
whom the Yoozbashee amused himself by fright- 
ening, making faces at it, and clawing at it with his 
gloves, to the great disturbance of its mother. 
Riding on again, we had much conversation. He 
says the pay of a Yoozbashee (captain of 100) is 300 
tillahs a year (150/.),. while that of a private soldier 
(cavalry) is 30 tillahs, or 15/. Their dress, ac- 
coutrements, and horses are all given to them. 
In war time the pay is more than doubled. He 
had heard of our Abyssinian war five months ago, 
but asked the Moonshee whether the Abyssinians 
were Mussulmans or kafirs (heathens). He also 
related to me that last year he carried to Yarkand 
the news of the capture of Kooche, which is twenty- 
eight regular marches distant (about 560 miles), 
and he accomplished the distance in three days, 
changing his horse twenty-eight times. From the 
village of Yepchang he went to Yarkand in one 
day (121 miles). For this service he received forty 
tillahs at Yarkand=24/., and on his return to the 
King’s camp the latter gave him two silver 
yamboos (worth 34/.)- Talking of riding, he re- 
marked that my Moonshee carried himself in a 


2/8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


peculiar way, while I rode in the same fashion as 
himself and his countrymen. The Moonshee’s seat 
is of course that of Indian horsemen, with short 
stirrups and reins held high. I had myself noticed 
that the Toorkee seat on horseback is more like 
that of Englishmen. 

“ On reaching Yepchang, we were met at our 
night's quarters by the master of the ceremonies, 
who had come on in advance to prepare everything 
for us as usual. He ushered me into my room, and 
presently returned w'ith the usual dastar-khan. 
His manner almost proclaims his avocation. Quiet 
yet decided in his movements, and handsomely 
dressed, he seems by a glance of his eye to put 
everybody in his proper place. You remember 
Steerforth’s gentlemanly attendant who made 
David Copperfield feel so young. My master of 
ceremonies is a second edition of him. 

“ We left Yepchang in the morning ; the master 
of ceremonies had ridden in to Kashghar during 
the night to announce my arrival. He met us 
again about halfway. We passed through a 
populous and well-cultivated country, crossing 
four rivers during the day’s ride. The first was 
abjv.t five miles from Yepchang, and occupied a 
bed a quarter of a mile wide with its numerous 
channels. We had some difficulty in crossing the 
nearest channel, as the ice was rotten, and the 
horses had to wade. Some of the loads got a 
wetting The other channels were crossed on the 
ice or on temporary bridges. A broad dam re- 
tained the further waters at a level considerably 


JOURNEY TO KASHGHAR. 


279 


above the rest, so as to form as it were two 
separate rivers. A broad artificial cut also con- 
veyed water along the higher level. Leaving the 
bed of these streams, we passed in sight of two 
small towns right and left of the road. At the 
next stream, which we crossed by a bridge, an 
arabah was being dragged with great difficulty 
through the broken ice and water. On the banks 
of thi; last stream we stopped for the afternoon 
prayer. The fortress or new city of Kashghar was 
here in full sight, in the midst of an open treeless 
country, covered, however, with cultivation. The 
defences, as we approached, were seen to be 
exactly similar to those of Yarkand New City, but 
the place is smaller. Passing several obtuse 
angles of the wall, we reached a gate on the 
E.N.E. side, before which, however, we were met 
by a Yoozbashee carrying a double-barrelled rifle 
of European make. He and the master of ceremo- 
nies preceded us in through the gate, past a corps 
dc garde, where sat rows of soldiers (converted 
Chinese), through a second gate to the right past 
more rows of soldiers, and into a third gateway 
giving entrance into the New City. In front of 
these men were ranged their arms, consisting of 
huge muskets called ‘ taifoor ’ which are managed 
by four men a piece. These ‘ taifoor’ were prop- 
ped up in front on a forked rest, while their butts 
rested on the ground. At the third portal all our 
party' dismounted, and we walked for two hundred 
yards through a broad avenue, crowded with men 
in bright-colored robes — all apparently hangers- 


2S0 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


on of the Court. Through these a way was kept 
clear for us by numerous ushers with white wands, 
one of whom preceded us down a street to the 
right to the house assigned to me. It is appa- 
rently a new building with numerous large court- 
yards, in the farthest of which are my own quarters. 
The rooms are smaller than at Yarkand, but to 
make up for this, there is a large covered reception- 
place with a verandah in front of all. Here an 
immense Khoten carpet is spread with rugs along 
the back. 

“ A ‘ dastar-khan ’ was immediately brought by 
an officer, and I was asked when I wished to visit 
the King. I answered that I should wish to do so 
at once, but that, if it were proper that I should 
present my gifts at my first visit, they could not 
be unpacked and got ready in time- They replied 
that the visit had better be to-morrow then. 
Aftewards they presented to me a Mahram, or 
usher, and a Dahbashee or captain of ten (a 
sergeant), who are appointed to remain night and 
day in attendance. The Mahram deputed for this 
office is the son of the former Mussulman Governor 
of Kashghar, under the Chinese. 

“We now began getting together the gifts 
which I had brought for the King, cleaning and 
putting the things in order. The Yoozbashee 
came in after dark and began asking me what I 
proposed to give, so I sent for my Hindoo agent 
to bring the list. Meanwhile the Mahram came in 
and sat down. When the list was bro light, I 
observed that the Yoozbashee would hardly listen 


JOURNEY TO NASHGHAR. 


281 


to it, but turned the conversation, saying : ‘ You 
niaj' give just what you like to the King ; my task 
is only to conduct you in safety to his presence.’ 
When the Mahram had gone out, the Yoozbashee 
told us in a low voice that he could not say 
anything on that subject in the former’s presence, 
as it would be reported that he was telling the 
guest what he was to give and what not to give. 
I took the opportunity of asking his advice as to 
whether I should give a separate present to the 
King’s son. Ascertaining that there were no 
listeners outside, he replied, ‘ Don’t give a needle’s 
value to any one but the King. He would be dis- 
pleased if you did.’ ” 


CHAPTER XV. 


DETENTION AT KASIIGHAR. 

^ r^HE interview with Mahammad Yakoob, the 
Atalik-Ghazee or King, took place on the I2th 
of January, the day after Shaw’s arrival. We give 
his account of it, entire : 

“ Early this morning all my presents for the 
King were set in order on trays, and about nine 
o’clock various ushers and officials came to fetch 
me. I started, escorted by the Yoozbashee who 
met me yesterday, my own Yoozbashee (whose 
name, by-the-bye, is Mahammad Yakoob like the 
King’s), the Mahrambashee, &c., and followed by 
between thirty and forty men carrying the various 
articles forming my ‘ nazar,’ or gift. From my 
door to the entrance of the palace, a distance of a 
quarter of a mile, a broad avenue had been formed 
in the crowd, whose bright robes of various colors 
had the effect of a living kaleidoscope. Entering 
the gateway, we passed through several large 
quadrangles, whose sides were lined with ranks 
upon ranks of brilliantly attired guards, all sitting 
in solemn silence, so that they seemed to form 
part of the architecture of the buildings, whose 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


283 


want of height would otherwise have given them 
a mean appearance. Entire rows of these men 
were clad in silken robes, and many seemed to be 
of high rank from the richness of their equipments. 
Those of divers tribes, and with strange arms, were 
mi.Ked with the mass. For the first time I saw 
soldiers armed with bows and carrying quivers 
full of arrows. They were Kalmaks. The whole 
effect was curious and novel. The numbers, the 
solemn stillness, and the gorgeous coloring gave a 
sort of unreality to this assemblage of thousands. 
In the innermost court, smaller than the rest, only 
a few select attendants were seated. Here none 
entered with me except my conductor, the Yooz- 
bashee of yesterday. 

“Approaching a kind of pavilion, with a pro- 
jecting verandah roof, elaborately painted in 
arabesques, I entered a side door. I passed 
through a small antechamber, and was conducted 
into a large audience chamber, or hall, in the mid- 
dle of which, close to a window, was seated a 
solitary individual, whom I at once knew must be 
the King. I advanced alone, and when I drew 
near, he half rose on his knees and held out 
both hands to me. I grasped them in the usual 
Toorkee manner, and at his invitation sat down 
opposite him. Then, as is the custom, I rose 
again to ask after his health ; he would not let me 
do so but motioned to me to sit, dra\\ing me 
nearer to himself He began inquiring after my 
health, and hoping my journey had been comfor- 
tably performed, to which I replied, excusing 


284 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


myself for my bad Persian, which, however, he 
smilingly declared was quite comprehensible. 
Then ensued a silence of about a minute, each 
waiting for the other to speak (this is a polite 
etiquette). Finally he commenced again by a 
remark about the weather (English-like). I re- 
sponded and went on to say that my countrymen 
had heard with the greatest pleasure that the 
brothers of our friends, the Sultan of Room and 
his people, had established a kingdom in Toork- 
istan in place of the Chinese, with whom we had 
already had three wars. For myself I said that 
the Lord Sahib had not sent me, nor entrusted me 
with any letter ; but I had come of my own accord, 
attracted by the renown of his name. He nodded 
and muttered assent to all that I said, and then 
replied that he had been delighted when he heard 
that Shaw Sahib was approaching his dominions 
with a friendly purpose. As for the Lord Sahib 
(the Viceroy of India), he was very great, and he 
himself was small in comparison. I answered, 
‘ The Viceroy is very great, but our Queen, his 
mistress, is greater.’ At this he stared. 

“ I continued that I hoped for the establishment 
of friendship between our nations, and that 
between friends there was no question of greater 
or smaller. He said, ‘ And you yourself, did you 
not send me a letter.^’ I replied, ‘Yes; I sent 
one by the hand of my agent to Yarkand, but he 
had no opportunity of delivering it to you ; there- 
fore I have now presented it with my gifts.’ I 
then said that I liad brought a few specimens of 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


285 


English rifles, &c., for him, and hoped he would 
accept them and pardon any deficiencies. He 
laughed, and said, ‘ What need is there of presents 
between you and me } we are already friends, and 
your safe arrival has been sufficient satisfaction to 
me.’ With this he crooked his two forefingers 
together to typify our friendship. I said that I 
hoped to have some further conversation with him, 
but that on the present occasion he was probably 
not at leisure, and there was also no interpreter 
present to make up for my deficiencies in Persian. 
He replied, ‘ Between you and me no third person 
is requisite ; friendship requires no interpreter,’ 
and he stretched his hand over, and gave mine a 
hearty grasp. Then he added, ‘ Now enjoy your- 
self for a few days, and see all the sights ; consider 
this place and all it contains as your own, and on 
the third day we will have another talk ; you shall 
bring your agent with you, and talk with me for 
an hour ; after that we will meet oftener, and so 
our friendship will be increased.’ 

“ Then he called to an attendant, who brought 
in a pink satin robe, and the King dismissed me 
Very graciously after the robe had been put on me. 

I rejoined my conductor at the gateway of the in-^ 
ner court, and returned home through the same 
brilliant assemblage. At each successive gateway 
my party was swollen by the accession of those 
who had been left behind there as not worthy to 
proceed farther with me. On reaching my own 
door, my conductors left me, each wishing me 


286 


CENTRAL ASIA.^ 


‘ moobarLik,’ or ‘ happy,’ to which I returned the 
proper answer of ‘ Koolligh,’ or ‘ your servant.’ 

“ Before starting for this visit, I had been much 
put out by my agent not being allowed to accom- 
pany me. The officials also told me that, what- 
ever I had to say to the King, I must say now, as 
the King was very great, and I should have no 
further opportunity o. speaking to him. I, how- 
ever, determined that I would not attempt this, as 
it was impossible at a first visit to say properly all 
that I wished to say, even were an interpreter pro- 
vided. I therefore resolved only to request a 
further interview, and as you see this was the 
proper course, and the King evidently expected it. 
Had I begun a long discourse,! should not have made 
myself understood to begin with, and, moreover, 
should have trespassed on the etiquette of a first 
interview. I cannot think what was the reason of 
my being told otherwise by the officials. 

“ During the day, we began to perceive many 
marks of neglect on the part of those who were 
charged with our entertainment. Supplies of all 
kinds were either not to be got, or were scantily 
furnished to the servants, after much asking. No 
official came to inquire after our wants. We could 
not help comparing this treatment with that of the 
Dad-khwah, and regretting our Yarkand quarters. 
Here we were all, masters and men, crowded into 
one court. Then my house alone consisted of three 
courts, and the agent and his servants had sepa- 
rate quarters. I was also annoyed by the constant 
running to and fro of boys and servants to a room 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 28/ 

full of stores at the end of the court. There was 
no privacy whatever. 

“At last, my displeasure culminated when I saw 
one of my servants approaching with a tray full of 
bread, which had been served out to him instead of 
the usual ‘ dastar-khan,’ presented by the proper 
official, and put before me with proper ceremony. 
Of course, the thing was a mere trifle in itself ; but 
in the East, want of respect is a precursor of dan- 
ger. I resolved to stop it if I could, and ordered 
the man to put the tray down outside my door, 
and to tell any one that asked about it that I did 
not want it. My Yarkand interpreter, Jooma (for 
it was he), stood aghast at the order, and told me 
he dared not do it, as it would be considered a 
dreadful insult by the King. I re-assured him, and 
made him do as 1 said. Then my Moonshee came 
with a scared face, and begged me to take in the 
tray. Jooma went away and hid himself in the 
kitchen, until the storm should blow over. Soon 
my move began to produce its effect. Officials 
went and came, looking at the rejected tray, and 
then hastening out. At last they approached and 
carried it off. Then arrived the ‘ Sirkar ’ (or comp- 
troller of the household), an official in charge of 
all the royal stoies. He went and sat down by my 
agent, and made a long apology, saying that on 
account of the great festival of the Eed to-morrow 
he had been unable to pay me proper attention, 
and those whose duty it was had neglected their 
charge. Then he entered my room and spread 
the cloth himself in front of me, putting on it a 


288 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


number of trays containing fruits and preserves of 
all sorts, brought by the attendants who remained 
outside. He then stood with folded hands until I 
broke and ate a piece of bread as a token of accept- 
ance. No sooner was he gone than the bleating 
of a sheep was heard. It was a second one for my 
Moonshee, one having been given me in the morn- 
ing as usual. Presently, although it was now dark, 
supplies of all sorts came pouring in in profusion, 
loads of wood, bundles of hay, rice, corn, in fact, 
all that had been before kept back. 

“ After dinner the Yoozbashee came in and beg- 
ged me not to be angry at any apparent neglect ; 
saying that the number of people collected for the 
festival created the greatest confusion, and that, 
if the King heard of an}'’ misunderstanding, it would 
cost the lives of several officials. I replied, ‘ I do 
not feel the least anger ; on the contrary, I am 
very grateful to the King for all his kindness.’ He 
said, ‘ I am only speaking about the future, and 
hope you will make allowances for any want of due 
attention. After further conversation, he went 
awa^^ but I learnt that he had previously spoken his 
mind in strong terms to the culpable officials, tell- 
ing them that he had not brought the royal guest 
so far with such care merely to be offended by their 
gross neglect, and that the honors bestowed on me 
by the King were not to be made of no avail by 
them. Later in the evening the penitent Sirkar 
came and sat down by my fire for a talk, begging 
pardon at the same time for the intrusion. I told 
him I was delighted to see him there ; and now my 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


289 


point being gained, I was all smiles, gave him tea 
and sweetmeats, and dismissed him with friendly 
words. 

“ So ended my first and, I hope, my last encoun- 
ter with the Atalik-Ghazee’s* servants. I have 
come to the conclusion that the King had given 
orders for every attention to be paid to us ; but 
being engrossed by state affairs, he is not able to 
bestow that attention on details which the Gov- 
ernor does. Greedy officials are thus enabled to 
intercept for their own benefit the favors intended 
for the guest. Another explanation, however, may 
be the true one. The Shaghawal may have ex- 
ceeded the measure of honor and attention ordered 
to be paid to me by the King. Ambitious aims or 
the desire to secure a friendly place of refuge in 
case of necessity may have induced him to exhibit 
his own especial regard for the English. But this 
still leaves the fact unexplained that my public 
reception here is conducted with more eclat than it 
was at Yarkand, while in private matters, to which 
the King’s eye cannot reach, my comfort is less 
consulted.” 

The next day Shaw began to reap the fruits of 
his victory. Everything was supplied in abundance, 
and twice in the day a hot dish (the first of maca- 
roni soup, the second of mutton and rice) was 
brought to him from the royal kitchen. In the 
morning a present of half a dozen pheasants and 


* Atalik-Ghazee is the title assumed by the K'rg Yakoob Beg. It 
means Tutor or Leader of the Champions of the Faith. 


290 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


wild duck arrived from the King. In every other 
respect, however, Shaw was restricted, and, under 
the circumstances, he did not venture to make any 
protest. On the 14th he writes : 

“ I am settling down into the former prison life 
that I led at Yarkand. Although the King told 
me to go about and amuse myself, yet I am halt 
afraid that it was only a figure of speech, and at 
any rate it is wiser not to excite suspicion by being 
too anxious to take advantage of the permission. 
But you can fancy that it is rather difficult to get 
through the day without books (for all mine I have 
read through a hundred times). The talk of my 
Guddees is amusing ; Choomaroo, especially, has 
a hundred .anecdotes to relate, with shrewd re- 
marks on every occurrence. Every one that goes 
out brings in some news of the outer world, which 
he contributes to the common stock of conversa- 
tion. The discovery of a new row of shops, or ot 
a fresh gateway, furnishes talk for an hour, while a 
meeting with one of the Indian sepoys who have 
taken service here, is hailed like the periodical ar- 
rival of the mail steamer in some dull colony. We 
linger reluctantly over each topic ; we wring out 
of it each drop of subject matter which it will 
afford. We return to it again and again, like a 
dog to a bone which he has already gnawed clean. 
Meanwhile, I pace up and down the verandah, the 
only exercise that I can obtain. At any sign ol 
animated conversation, a raised voice, or a laugh, 
half-a-dozen faces peer out of as many doors all 
round the court, like marmots at their holes. To 



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DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 29! 

the Mussulmans their devotions are a great 
resource. The washings of face, arms, hands, and 
feet, the undressing to do this, and the dressing 
again afterwards, the spreading a cloth to pros- 
trate themselves on, and, finally, the varied 
postures required during the prayers — all these 
help to pass the time.” 

The next day he received a message to the 
effect that the King had inquired very kindly after 
him, and had said : “ Go and tell Shaw Sahib that 
I am loaded with business at present, but hope, in 
a day or two, to have time for a long talk with 
him. Tell him not to be impatient at the delay, 
for I look upon him in the light of a friend.” Shaw 
sent back word that he was much obliged to the 
King for putting off their interview until the latter 
had more time, as what he wished to say could not 
be said in a hurry. He added that he was ready 
to wait any number of days, so that in the end 
there might be full leisure for all his business. 

Shaw’s subsequent experience showed him that 
his answer was accepted literally, and with all the 
Oriental disregard of time. We quote from his 
journal, January 20th ; “ During the visit of the 
Yoozbashee and the master of ceremonies, the hot 
dishes arrived from the King’s kitchen. I invited 
the guests to join us, and we made an impromptu 
meal, a la Toorkee. The three commencefl ope- 
rations on the huge dish with their fingers, while I 
sat on my chair, and used a separate_ plate and 
knife and fork, to their great admiration. Their 
delight is to use one of my spoons to stir their tea 


292 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


with. When they had finished, I had some grapes 
put before them, but they raised cries of horror, 
saying, ' How can we eat them now, after meat ?’ 
They seemed as much astonished as English peo- 
ple would be were the soup served after dessert. I 
explained our custom in this respect, but they 
thought it quite barbarous. They explained their 
theory on the subject. Put into European phrase- 
ology it was this : that eating meat before fruit 
was like sending a heavy goods train down a line 
in front of a fast express ; the fruit being more 
quickly digestible than the meat, and therefore 
proper to be eaten first. 

“ Hitherto the servants have been allowed to go 
out of doors at will. To-day most of them were 
turned back, and told to stay within the four walls. 
My agent asked me the story of the prisoners 
in Abyssinia, apparently considering ours a parallel 
case. I cannot say that we feel much anxiety, 
however, though this kind of imprisonment is 
annoying, as well as ridiculous. 

“ I learn that the price of cotton here is about 
one tanga per jing, or three tangas for four pounds, 
which equals '^d. per pound ! 

“ Wednesday, January 20th . — For several days 
past the Yoozbashee has not come to see me. 
To-day I sent to inquire after him, and he sent 
me back many sahims, with a message, saying that 
he was most desirous of visiting me, but these ras- 
cals (meaning the King’s officers in attendance) 
kept such a watch on him that he was afraid to 


come. 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


293 


“ January 22nd . — This morning the Governor 
arrived from Yarkand. He was received, as I was, 
by soldiers lining the gateways and approaches, 
and went to pay his respects to the King at once. 
At the same time he presented a nazar, or gift, con- 
sisting of 100 ‘ koors ’ of silver (1700/.), and thirty 
horses, mounted by as many slaves, full)' arm(.d 
and equipped from head to foot, with four changes 
of clothing a-piece. Besides these, there were 
numerous minor gifts. He himself rode a splendid 
horse, with housings mounted with turquoises, and 
saddle-cloth of gold brocade. The Yoozbashee 
rode out as far as Yepchang to meet him, and 
came to see me about one o’clock, after being dis- 
missed by the King. He said he was famished, 
having started long before daybreak without any 
food. I made him stop and join me in a huge 
pilao, a great part of which he devoured. 

“ The Governor sent me many kind messages of 
inquiry, and said he had heard how tired I was of 
confinement (for yesterday, sick of this life, I had 
poured forth my complaints into the sympathizing 
ears of the Yoozbashee, who tried to pacify me by 
saying that I was too great a man to go about the 
place like a common person ; but at the same time 
he evidently thought my desire for a little open 
air only reasonable). The Governor told me to 
have patience for a little longer, that everything 
should be arranged to my satisfaction, and I should 
go back with him to Yarkand when he returned. 
The Yoozbashee affects mystery, and does not 
mention the Governor’s name when the other at- 


294 


CEiVTRAL ASIA. 


tendants are present. Whether the Governor’s 
friendliness towards me is in excess of the King’s 
orders, and concealed from his knowledge, I know 
not ; but he evidently wants me to believe so. 

“ I have had some Indian dumb-bells made to 
pass the time with. To-day the Yoozbashee saw 
them, and asked their use. He was much pleased 
with the exercise they afford, and said it was fine 
training for the arms. He tried them himself, in 
imitation of me, but never having handled them 
before, of course could not keep up the play long. 
I then showed him some other tricks and exercises, 
such as rising from the ground on one leg, without 
help from the other, &c. He tried them all, and 
showed great activity in these novel amusements. 

“He says they have earthquakes at Yarkand 
and Kashghar two or three times a year ; but last 
year, at Yepchang, for eight months together, 
there were shocks two or three times a day. All 
the houses were shaken to pieces, and have had to 
be rebuilt. The shocks did not extend beyond the 
immediate neighborhood of the village.” 

Shaw’s account of his life in Kashghar is given 
in the form of a journal. The entries of many days 
are simply notes of what occurred in his household, 
and are of no general interest. We will therefore 
only take such particulars as relate to his inter- 
coui'se with the King and the chief authorities, 
or which give some information concerning the 
country and its people. On the 29th of January, 
he says : “ My Tibetan servant Jooma has con- 
firmed an opinion which has been strengthening 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


295 


in my mind ever since I have been in Toorkistan. 
He declares that, until this year, the people of 
this country, and its rulers, had no idea of the 
British dominion in India. The name of Frank 
was not even mentioned, except as belonging to a 
people who had been fighting with the Chinese, 
and who had some possessions far away in the 
south. The Maharaja of Cashmere was the great 
potentate whom they heard of on their borders. 
Every trader who came from Ladak was reckoned 
a Cashmere subject, and was put under the au- 
thority of the Cashmere Akskal, or consul, Ahmed 
Shah. The Indian merchants dared not give any 
other account of themselves, partly from fear ot 
the Yarkand authorities, who might have detained 
them, but chiefly on account of the Cashmere au- 
thorities, by whose favor alone they had access to 
the Ladak market. The reduction of duties last 
year at Ladak was such an unusual thing for a 
native sovereign that it attracted attention, and it 
was rumored that the English had taken Tibet. 
My arrival this year, and afterwards that of Hay- 
ward, and the accounts given regarding the Ma- 
haraja by myself and my servants, who are under 
no restraints, have convinced the authorities here 
that the English power is paramount in India. 
Until last year, they do not seem to have known 
of its existence there, but sent an envoy to the 
Maharaja of Cashmere and Delhi. So new is the 
notion to them that they now call all British sub- 
jects Franks. The mistakes occasioned bv this are 
amusing. First came the original report that five 


2g6 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


Franks had reached Shahidoolla, when I and four 
Indian servants arrived there. 

“ A few days ago the Sirkar came officially to 
tell me that another Frank (politely rendered by 
‘ Sahib ’) was approaching Kashghar with Ma- 
hammad Nazzar, and the King wished to know 
whether I was aware of his business, or the pur- 
pose of his coming. I said that I only knew of 
Hayward, and did not even know a third Sahib had 
come into the country. The next day the Sirkar 
came back to explain the mistake. The Frank, he 
said, was not an ‘ Inglish,’ like myself, but a Mus- 
sulman ; in fact, it was my friend, the old mutineer. 
A day or two after, the Governor of Yarkand 
arrived. News was brought in that Hayward 
Sahib had arrived, also, that day. He had been 
received by the King, and his lodging was ap- 
pointed in a house outside the walls. Next day 
came the further reports of his sayings and doings. 
He had said to the King, ‘Why do you bring in 
your water for this fortress U7ider the wall I can 
bring it in over the wall.’ They also said that he 
was quite an old man. This puzzled us ; but we 
came to the conclusion that the color of Hay- 
ward’s beard, being light, had been mistaken for 
the grayness of age, as I have several times known 
to be done in India. A couple of days afterwards, 
Jooma inquired for the officer who is in attend- 
ance on Hayward, and then it came out that 
neither he nor Hayward had left Yarkand.” 

During the greater part of February, Shaw’s 
principal occupation consisted in trying to distil 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


297 


some authentic news out of the rumors and stories 
which those of his servants picked up who were 
allowed to frequent the bazars. He was by this 
time satisfied that h'is own imprisonment (as it 
really was) indicated the intention of the King to 
send him back to Leh ; since, if his death had 
been resolved upon, there could have been no 
objection to his temporary liberty. One of his 
servants, Sarda, met a native official, who stated 
to him that the King was much pleased with the 
Englishman’s visit. He said that it was a most 
unusual mark of favor for the King to keep a 
stranger so long near him ; the most were sent 
away after two or three days. Sarda remarked 
that Shaw was annoyed at being kept so long in 
the house ; whereupon the official replied : “ The 
Sahib must not think anything of that ; it is the 
custom of the country, and is universally practised 
with strange visitors : they are never allowed to 
go about at will, and even so are rarely permitted 
to stay more than a day or two at the King’s 
headquarters.” 

On the 25th of February, Shaw says : “ The 
other day our horses broke loose, and made their 
way up the ramparts on to the wall of the fortress. 
They were caught after making half the circuit of 
the town. I pretended astonishment at their not 
falling over, and thus got a description of the wall 
from the Yoozbashee. He paced out a distance 
which on measurement proved to be twelve feet, 
and said : ‘ The wall has a roadway on the top of 
that width ; on both sides are battlements nearly 


298 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


a man's height.’ This would make the total thick- 
ness of the top about sixteen feet. As the wall is 
nearly forty feet high (as far as I can judge from 
seeing it twenty yards off), and slopes inward on 
both sides from the basement, the width at bottom 
must be over twenty feet. Near the gateway it is 
much thicker. 

“ To-day there is a little news to write. First 
came the Sirkar with a present from the King, 
consisting of a chest full of pears from Kooche. 
We had some talk about my departure. I im- 
pressed on him the fact that the road becomes 
almost impassable when the streams are swollen 
by the melted snow a few weeks hence. He re- 
plied that the King was occupied in preparations 
for my departure. 

“ In the evening the master of ceremonies was 
very communicative. In reply to questions of 
mine (brought in naturally, after I had led the 
conversation round about from crickets on the 
hearth to crickets in the woods, and thence to 
forests in general, and the forests of the Kashghar 
mountains in particular), he told me that the 
range north of this is called Kakshal, and that to 
the south, Kizilze. The continuation of the 
Kakshal range east is called Moostagh, and 
farther east Thian-Shan. This, of course, we knew 
already. At the foot of the Kakshal range is the 
ancient town of Artash, about twenty miles from 
Kashghar. 

“ Ascending a very winding gorge, where the 
road is barely wide enough for a horse, a precipitous 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


299 


peak called Moostagh (not the range of that name) 
is reached. Here the road is compressed between 
the torrent and the mountain, and this place has 
been chosen for a fort lately built by the Atalik- 
Ghdzee. One of its sides abuts on the precipitous 
mountain, and it commands the only road with its 
ten guiiS. The roads from Kool and from Almatee 
unite shortly beyond it, and continue in one. All 
other paths across the range have been rendered 
impracticable. A few months ago the King went 
in person to inspect the progress of the work. 
One wall was already built, but he had it thrown 
down again, as it gave no access to the water. 
With his own hands he labored at the work, and 
was perforce imitated by all his officers and nobles. 
The master of ceremonies complains pathetically 
of the toil he then went through, carrying huge 
rocks on his back up and down steep hills. This 
is the time referred to by Mahammad Omar at 
Yarkand when he took the news of my approach 
to the King. The fort is strongly built of stone, 
ind encloses a safe supply of water. The present 
■;arrison consists of 500 converted Chinese, 200 
Foonganees, and 300 Toorks. The fort, which has 
jeen called the Moostagh Tashkoorgan (Ice- 
mountain Stone Fort), is three days’ ride from 
Kashghar. Seven or eight days beyond it are the 
plains of Issik-kiil and of Almatee. The Russians, 
however, are posted in advance of these places. 

“ The King apparently is a most plucky soldier. 
He has eleven wounds on his body, five of which 
are from Russian bullets. While besieging Yar- 


300 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


kand, he was hit in the side and in the thigh, and 
had several horses killed under him. He bound 
up his wounds with scarfs, and mentioned them to 
no one, bearing a smiling face when any one ap- 
proached, but writhing with pain when unobserved. 
The master of ceremonies was there as usual in 
personal attendance on him with nine other Mah- 
rams who accompanied him to the field. ‘While 
the King was thus concealing his wounds,’ says 
the master of ceremonies, ‘ I, who had received 
a scratch on the face ’ (of which he showed us the 
mark), from a Toonganee spear, was lying groan- 
ing night and day in my tent. When no one 
was near, I sat up drinking tea, but when any one 
came in, I was rolling on the floor with pain. As 
fast as the wound healed, I tore it open again, and 
if the siege had lasted two years, I believe I should 
have kept it open all that time. I had no mind to 
go out again among the bullets. One had struck 
the high pommel of my saddle, and another had 
broken the clasp of my belt. I reflected that if it 
had been one of these instead of a spear that had 
struck me in the face, I should have been a dead 
man. My death would have been reported to the 
King, and he would have said, “ Allaho-akber ” ’ 
(God is great), ‘ and that is all ! Ah, your bullets 
are bad things. If it were not for them ? should 
be a brave man. The King does not care for his 
life, but I care for mine. While I lay there 
wounded, I had two hearts’ (which he illustrated 
by holding out two fingers). ‘ One said, “ Go out 
to fight the other said, “Lie here in peace!” 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


301 


At night the former heart ’ (pulling his fore- 
finger) ‘was victorious, but when morning came, I 
always listened to that which told me to lie still. 
The King gave me a kodrs, and a brocade robe for 
my wound, but he did not heed his own at all.” 

On the 1st of March, the orphan boy, whom 
Shaw had brought with him from the Himalayas, 
was sent for to be given into the care of Nyaz Beg, 
Governor of Khoten. The King sent many mes- 
sages of thanks, &c., and the boy and his goods 
were carried off by the Sirkar. They said the boy 
will be kept under the charge of the Governor till 
he grows up, when his goods will be given to him. 
Meanwhile, his brother is to be allowed to see him 
occasionally, but not to touch his property. He 
will be brought up with the two sons of the Beg, 
who are about his age. 

On the 6th of March, Shaw was officially 
informed of Hayward’s arrival in Kashghar, and on 
the nth he writes as follows: “As usual, much 
time was spent in listening to rumors and scraps 
of information, furnished by my servants and the 
officials, out of which I try to build up some 
grounds of hope for a speedy release and leave to 
depart. Some say we shall be kept another-^ 
month ; others that we shall start in three days. 

I told the Yoozbashee to-day, that in my country 
even prisoners had their complaints forwarded to 
the proper authorities ; but that here, no one 
would even take a letter for me to the King. In 
reply he, as usual, invented a number of stories — 
all lies — to explain the conduct of the King. 


302 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ To -day came a long and interesting letter 
from Hayward. The account I heard of his war- 
like demo.astration at Yarkand appears to have 
been a great exaggeration. In the first part of his 
letter, written at Yarkand, he praises the hospi- 
tality of the Toorks, and says he shall carry away 
pleasant recollections of the country ; in the sec- 
ond part, written at Kashghar, he is inclined to 
think the King the greatest rascal in Asia. 
Apparently, he made a very laborious trip up and 
down the Yarkand rivers with valuable results. 

“I am more than ever convinced now that the 
Atalik-Ghazee is ‘exploiting’ me for the benefit 
of subjects and neighbors as an English envoy. 
He knows perfectly himself that I am not so, as I 
have repeatedly told both him and the Governor 
of Yarkand that I am not sent by Government, 
and they have assented, saying that they knew this 
before. But for all that they wish the world to be 
misled on the subject. Hence all this parading of 
me about the country, and the assembling several 
thousands to line the approach when I went to 
visit him. This also, I believe, is the reason why 
my letter sent by my agent, asking permission to 
come, was detained till I could deliver it myself, a 
dreadful solecism otherwise, for the favor which 
it requested had already been granted. But the 
parade of the gold casket and ornamented papers 
presented in state was what they cared for. 

“ The master of ceremonies says some years ago 
the Russians asked the Chinese to sell them a few 
acres of land in a desert at the foot of a mountain. 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


303 


The Chinese were glad enough to get 500yamboos 
for such a spot, but within a year they saw a fort- 
ress rising on it. From this centre the Russians 
have extended in all directions, while the Chinese 
watched them with their fingers in their mouths ! 
The fortress is Almatee or Vernoje.” 

On the 20th of March, Shaw’s Moonshee, or 
agent, was taken to see the King, who received 
him in a cordial but condescending way, and said, 
‘ Sit down, and pray for me.’ Thereupon the 
Moonshee repeated some formal prayers in Arabic 
to the effect that the King’s rule might be to the 
profit of himself and Islam ; and the King replied, 
‘ With God’s blessing, with God’s blessing !’ After 
a few more civil words, he was taken into another 
room, and presented with a robe and ‘ dastar-khan,’ 
and afterwards led to the inner gateway to make a 
distant farewell salutation to the King. It is the 
custom of the country, after receiving a robe, to 
wear it outside the rest of one’s clothes for three 
days ; and, after receiving a turban, to wear it 
without tucking up the ends for the same period.” 
Towards the end of March, Shaw received a 
smuggled note from Hayward, in which the latter 
expressed his fears that they would both be put 
to death. Shaw still retained his first impression, 
that their confinement denoted an ultimate release, 
and sent back a letter in which he explained his 
grounds of belief. The servants were no longer 
confined to the house as at first, and the bearing 
of the officials was still very friendly and encour- 
aging. One of the men, Jooma, was even allowed 


304 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


to visit the Old City of Kashgar, which he reported 
to be larger than Yarkand, and crowded with in- 
habitants. It has five gates : the stables for ani- 
mals are underground, and all the houses have 
upper stories. 

On the 1st of April, Shaw writes : “ The Chief 
Jemadar says that the King will start for Yang- 
hissar in si.x days’ time. He has been ordered to 
follow three or four days later, bringing us with 
him. The Jemadar added, ‘Many other officers 
CO. lid have brought you along, but I fancy he thinks 
you will be under less restraint with me.’ 

“ I hear from other quarters also that the Atalik 
starts in six days. 

“ The Yoozbashee propounded a theory, that at 
this season a great part of the strength of men goes 
into the trees, to enable them to shoot and bear 
leaves and fruit. After the first season the strength 
leaves the trees, and comes back into men. 
Hence men at this present season are languid and 
limp.” 

Two days later, “The Yoozbashee was talking 
about everything being God’s work, and why was I 
impatient ? I replied, ‘ My impatience is God’s work 
also.’ This he seemed to consider a poser. I also 
said, ‘ What I regret is this, that out of the fixed 
number of years which God has appointed me to 
live, I have just lost entirely three months, which 
are as it were wiped out of my existence, and can- 
not be replaced.’ He replied, ‘ No, no, they are 
not lost ; you will see that your residence here has 
been productive of very important results, and then 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


305 


you will look upon these three months as one 
day.’ ” 

The period of deliverance was really at hand. 
After so many rumors, and three months of close 
detention, there was a sudden change in his treat- 
ment. “ On the afternoon of the 5th of April,” he 
writes, “ the Sirkar came and announced that 
either a big officer would be sent to communicate 
with me or else I should be taken myself to see 
the King. I answered, ‘ I am pleased with either 
course, whichever the Atalik-Ghazee orders.’ 
After a few minutes, the Sirkar said, ‘ Get yourself 
ready, for you will be sent for this evening.’ I 
suppose his first announcement was intended to try 
me. 

“ When he was gone, I got ready two guns (the 
only ones I had left), to present as a ‘nazar,’ by 
the Yoozbashee’s advice. I know they had covet- 
ed these two guns ever since I have been in the 
country, as they knew they were those I kept for 
my own use. English-made fire-arms are not so 
common in this country that they can let any 
leave it. 

“ About eight o’clock in the evening I was 
fetched. They took me to the opposite corner of 
the great square before the palace, and then by a 
side street to a big gateway, with a row of guns 
standing on each side. Opening the gate, we 
passed through the corps de garde and into a square, 
lighted with Chinese lanterns. Opposite was a 
kind of pavilion, with walls of open work, which, 
lighted up from the inside, had a pretty effect. My 


3o6 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


conductor left me at the foot of a flight of steps 
leading up into the pavilion. I went up alone, and 
entered the room. In a corner was sitting the 
Atalik-Ghazee, close to an opening in the trellis. 
He held out his hands to welcome me, and placed 
me opposite him, telling me to sit down comforta- 
bly (for I had, of course, taken the excruciating 
sitting posture usual in Toorkistan). After the 
usual inquiries after health, &c., he called for an 
interpreter, a Hindoostanee Jemadar, who came 
and stood below the window at which we were sit- 
ting. I cannot attempt to give the whole of our 
conversation, for I sat there more than an hour 
talking and being talked to. But the chief points 
are the following : — The King began by saying 
that he felt highly honored by my visit to his coun- 
try ; that he was very inferior in power and dignity 
to the English ; only so big (showing the tip of his 
little finger) in comparison with the Malika Padi- 
shah (the Queen).* I replied, I hoped there might 
be friendship established between the two countries 
as there is between the Sultan of Room (Turkey) 
and the English, and that between friends one does 
not consider inequality (you will say this answer 
of mine was a stale one, having been given before, 
but remember the statement which drew it forth 
was stale also). He said, ‘ God grant it,’ and then 
went on to say that I was his brother, that all his 
subjects were my servants, and that when neigh- 

• I noticed that now he seemed to know all about the Queen ; 
whereas in my first interview it was all the “Lord Pashah,” or Vice- 
’wy of India. He has profited by his lessons. 


DETENTION AT KASHCHAR. 


307 


boring nations heard of my coming to him (he men- 
tioned Russia and Khokand by name), his honor 
would be greatly increased. I answered that i had 
not been sent either by the Queen or the Lord 
Sahib (the Viceroy), but had merely come of my 
own accord, hearing his renown ; that the only ust 
I could be of was by giving him information as to 
my own land and sovereign, with whose affairs I 
was, of course, acquainted, (I noticed that the in- 
terpreter sank his voice almost to a whisper in 
translating all this.) 

“ The King replied that I was his brother, &c., and 
paid me many compliments, saying he had never 
seen an Englishman before, though he had heard 
much of their power and truthfulness. He added 
that he was convinced that from them could pro- 
ceed nothing hurtful to himself, but rather good. 
He then said, ‘ I consider you my brother ; what- 
ever course you advise, I will take. I am thinking 
of sending an envoy to your country. What is 
your advice.^’ I said, ‘ Your intention is most 
excellent, and it is most desirable that an envoy 
should go.’ He then replied, ‘ I will send the 
envoy, and give him a letter to the Lord Sahib, 
asking him to send him on to the Queen.’ I re- 
plied, ‘ That is the very best plan.’ He said, ‘ Well, 
now about the time ; when should he go V I said, 
‘ That is as you please ; either send him with me, 
or before me, or after me, but I advise that what is 
done should be done quickly.’ He said, ‘ Of course ; 
vny envoy will go with you, and as you think he 
ought to go soon, I will only keep you here three 


3o8 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


days more, then you shall go to Yarkand, and I 
will put him under your charge either at Yang-hissar 
or at Yarkand.’ I said, ‘Very good ; and if it is 
your order, I will then explain to him all that he 
may expect to be asked, and other things which 
you probably have not leisure to hear from me, and 
he can then obtain your orders on these subjects, 
lest when he gets to the presence of our rulers, he 
should find himself unable to give an answer.’ He 
replied, ‘ Do so, by all means. We will have an- 
other talk together to-morrow evening, and again 
at Yang-hissar, where I shall go after visiting the 
Mazar (a Mussulman shrine). I will also send a 
man’ (I caught the word ‘ pisar,’ or but the 
interpreter did not say so), ‘ who shall come and go 
between you and me, and through whom we can 
communicate ; when he comes, let no one be 
present but your two selves. Send all your servants 
out of the way, and whatever passes between us, 
keep it secret till you re-enter your own country.’ 
I promised to do so. He said, ‘ The Queen of 
England is like the sun, which warms everything 
it shines upon. I am in the cold, and desire that 
some of its rays should fall upon me. I am very 
small — a man of yesterday. In these few years 
God has given me this great country. It is a great 
honor for me that you have come. I count upon 
you to help me in your own country. Whatever 
services I can render you here, you may command, 
and you must do the same for me. Come, what 
report will you give of me when you get back .?’ I 
said, ‘ I shall tell them that the renown of you 


1 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 


309 


that has reached India is but half of what I have 
found the facts to be.’ He laughed, and stretched 
out his hand to shake mine. Then he said, ‘You 
must keep on sending a servant of your own with 
merchandise to Toorkistan. Whether the Malika 
sends me an envoy or no, that she will decide, but 
your own special agent must come and go. Will 
you send one yearly T I replied, ‘ If I have your 
permission, I will certainly do so.’ He said, ‘ That 
is right. Send all sorts of merchandise by him, 
and send a letter to me, asking for whatever you 
want. You may always command me, and the 
arrival of your letter will be as wealth to me.’ I 
said, ‘ I trust by that means I shall be able to re- 
ceive frequent intelligence of your well-being and 
prosperity. That will be my greatest pleasure. I 
trust that your kingdom may be established for 
hundreds of years.’ 

“ After more of this style of conversation, and 
drinking my tea, he called for a robe to be put on 
me ; but after I had received it, he again made me 
sit down, and repeated some of his previous 
speeches, saying, ‘ Az barae Khooda’ (Before 
God), ‘ I mean all that I say. I am a Mussulman, 
and will not stir from my engagements.’ Finally 
I was let go, and the King’s son appeared, and 
conducted me as far as the outer gateway. To- 
wards the latter part of the time, the interpreter 
apparently thought I did not appear grateful 
enough for the honor and compliments bestowed 
on me. He kept on saying, in Hindoostanee, 

‘ Consider what this great prince is saying to you ; 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


310 

he has never said so much to any one before.’ I 
don’t know whether he expected me to stand up 
and say ‘ Allaho-akber,’ or perform any other 
ceremony of that sort ; but the King evidently 
did not, for he stopped the interpreter, and told 
him to say only what he was ordered. 

“ On coming out I was assailed with wishes of 
‘ Moobarak ’ by all my attendants, who all came 
and sat with me, to hear the result of my visit to 
the King. 

“ The next morning the Sircar brought me as a 
parting present from the King bags of gold and 
silver yaraboos, and some gold-dust ^n paper, 
saying they were for my private expenses. I 
estimate their value at about £ 6 (^. Presently he 
reappeared, with about of silver for the agent. 
Again, he brought me a robe of crimson satin, 
gorgeous with gold and embroidery, and a high 
velvet cap, and other robes for myself, the agent, 
and all the servants. Soon after arrived a horse, 
with handsome trappings, whose bridle was put 
into my hand, while blessings were invoked with 
outstretched arms. This evening I have again 
been taken to see the King. Everything as before, 
except that my agent was allowed to come into 
the court after I was seated, and say a distant 
salam, to which the King responded from his 
window, with a muttered ‘ O aleikoom as-salam,’ 
stroking his beard, and adding, ‘ He is a good man, 
poor fellow’ (‘ bechara,’ a patronizing term of 
friendship). As before, his conversation fell chiefly 
on his own insignificance compared with our Queen, 


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HUAI) OK ASIATIO CAAIKI, 



DETENTION AT KASIIGHAR. 


3 " 


‘ Ruler of the seven climes,’ as he called her. He 
enlarged on his desire of friendship with England, 
but chiefly on his special friendship for me, saying 
that, when he saw my face, God put it into his 
mind to take it for a good omen for himself. 

“ I replied that his kindness was overpowering, 
and that as I myself was too insignificant to deserve 
it, I took it all as meant for my Sovereign and 
nation. He took me to refer to the presents he 
had sent me in the morning, and said, ‘ No, no, it 
is all for yourself in particular, on account of the 
private friendship I have formed for you. For 
your Queen I mean to prepare some fitting gifts, 
and as you are my friend, and I am ignorant of the 
customs of your country, I count on you to tell me 
what is proper to be sent to her. She is very great, 
and I am very little ; I conceal nothing from you ; 
you know the state of my country ; it produces 
nothing but felts, and such like things ’ (laughing, 
and pointing to the matting of the floor), ‘ so you 
must give me advice.’ I said, ‘ Friendship is the 
most valuable gift that kings can give one another ; 
but if I can be of any use in giving advice, I am at 
your service.’ He said, ‘ I count on you for this. 
When we meet at Yang-hissar, we will arrange 
all. Here I am oppressed with business. There 
are people here from Russia (?), from Khokand, 
from Bokhara, and from all quarters. But I pur- 
pose to go to Yang-hissar, and throw off business 
like an extra robe, and then we will talk much 
together. Whatever advice you give me I will fol- 
low down to the least point ’ (showing the tip ol 


312 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


his fingers), ‘ whether about writing letters, or 
sending envoys, or doing anything.’ 

“ I replied, ‘ The plan of sending an envoy pro- 
ceeds from your own counsel and wisdom ; but if 
in the execution of it I can be of the least service, 
from my knowledge of English customs, &c., that 
is what I most desire.’ Then, counting on his fin- 
gers, he said, ‘ To-morrow is Char-Shamba, next 
day Panj-Shamba, and the day after Friday. I 
shall start for Yang-hissar, leaving my son here. 
Stay with him a couple of days (my country, and 
all my subjects are yours), and on Friday come to 
meet me at Yang-hissar. I have a great affection 
for that place, as it was the first town I took in this 
country, and I intend to pay my devotion at the 
shrine there. We will arrange all matters there, 
and I will send with you two or three men of rank 
and wisdom. They shall carry you in the palms 
of their hands till you leave my country, and then 
go with you to your own country.’ 

“ After further talk, he said, ‘ I feel great shame 
because an Englishman once before came to this 
country, and was murdered by a robber, one Walle 
^Khan, who was then here.’ I replied, ‘ We know 
that you had no hand in it, and do not throw the 
blame on you. The traveller you speak of was not 
an Englishman, but a German ; but still we felt 
much grieved at his death, for he was a guest of 
ours in India, whence he came to Toorkistan.’ He 
went on to say, holding up six fingers, ‘ There ! 
that is just the number of years that I have been 
in power ; before then I was nobody.’ I answered. 


DETENTION AT KASHGHAR. 313 

‘ Those kings who succeed to thrones by right of 
birth obtain their power by no merit of their own. 
But those who, like Timoor and Sikandar (Tamer- 
lane and Alexander), obtain great kingdoms by 
their own deeds, are looked upon with admiration.’ 
The king clutched his robe (d la Toorkee), and 
said, ‘ May God make your words true.’ (You will 
say I am wonderfully sententious, but that is the 
custom of the country. Tupper would be a great 
literary character here.) 

“ Again, the Atalik said, ‘Another Englishman 
came to Yarkand ; do you know who he is V I 
said, ‘ I met an Englishman in Tibet, who asked 
me to take him with me, but I told him that I 
could not do so, as I had only asked permission 
of the King for myself alone to enter his country.’ 
He answered, ‘ Well, whatever Englishman comes, 
he is welcome to me.’ 

“ After this I was allowed to go, being nearly 
stifled, from having to wear three heavy robes, 
one above the other, the gift of the King this 
afternoon ; such is the custom of the country. I 
forgot to say that, when I entered, the King 
wished me ‘ Moobarak ’ (or happy) on putting on 
the new robes. 

“ I tried to give a robe of honor to the Sirkar 
who brought me my presents, but he resolutely 
refused to receive anything, saying the King 
would cut his throat if he accepted the smallest 
present from a Mihman (guest). I told him to 
try and get permission from the King.” 

On the 7th of April, the King left Kashghar for 


314 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


Yang-hissar, and the same afternoon, saj-s Shaw, 
“ came a note from Hayward, saying that, as I am 
being allowed to depart, while nothing is said 
about his going, he anticipates that they mean to 
keep him. I am sorry to say this was rather con- 
firmed by an ugly rumor that one of my servants 
heard to-day. He was told that I should now be 
sent back to India with an envoy from the 
Atalik-Ghazee, and that Hayward would be kept 
as a hostage for his safe return. 

“ I immediately gave orders to Jooma to go to 
the Jemadar Dad-Khwah, who seems to have 
some influence, and is also sensible and friendly. 
Jooma is to explain to him that, as long as an 
Englishman is kept here against his will, it is quite 
useless to expect any good to come from sending 
an envoy ; and that, if they are not going to allow 
Hayward to depart, they may save themselves the 
trouble of entering into any communication with 
our Government.” 

The next day the answer was returned that 
Shaw would leave Kashghar on the morrow, and 
that Hayward would be allowed to go at the same 
time. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND, AND SECOND RESI- 
DENCE THERE. 

O N Friday, the 9th of April, 1869, Shaw was 
escorted out of the gates of Kashghar, on 
his return journey. He says : “ We started about 
ten o’clock. Most of the servants and all the 
luggage came in two ‘ arabas ’ (country carts). 
A nasty windy day, storms of dust and drizzling 
rain at intervals. The Sirkar rode out with me a 
little distance from the fortress, and then got off 
nis horse to take his leave of me. I am accom- 
panied by the red-robed Yasawal, and by the 
Sirkar’s deputy, besides the Yoozbashee and his 
party. We breakfasted on getting to Yepchang, 
where we put up at the old place, a master of 
ceremonies having been sent on to prepare it. 
The house belongs to the head-man of Yepchang. 
I went out with Sarda to some sand-hillocks about 
a mile off, where we had a splendid view of the 
Kakshal and the Karantagh mountains to the 
north, and the gigantic snowy range to the south- 
west. We could see Kashghar fortress plainly, 
and took bearings till interrupted by fresh storms 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


316 

of dust. On returning, I found the arabas had 
arrived : they are tilt carts, with a pair of enor- 
mous wheels, one horse in the shafts and two 
leaders attached by long traces of rope running 
through iron rings on the shafts, and fastened to 
the axle under the cart. Each horse has a separate 
pair of traces all the way back, also separate pairs 
of reins to each. On the horses’ necks is a kind ' 
of yoke (two parallel sticks), which are kept from 
the shoulder by large pads ; the whole effect 
being that of a horse collar, except that the yoke 
is thrown off with the traces, leaving the pads on 
the horse. 

“ Afterwards, the weather having cleared, I 
made another excursion to the sand-hills, and got 
more bearings, and a sight of the mountains all 
around. The wheat and the barley were both 
sprouting, a couple of inches high. Ploughing for 
some other crop was going on, with pairs of 
bullocks yoked very wide apart. I saw a pair of 
horses, too, employed in harrowing, or rather 
clod-crushing. Gourds with holes in them were 
stuck up in the trees, near the houses, for a small 
kind of blackbird with yellow beak to build in. 
These birds sing well, and are said to turn dark 
blue in summer. The Toorks call them kara-kooch- 
kach. I was told that Indian corn here produces 
sixty-four measures of produce from one measure 
of seed ; wheat and barley less. I noticed also 
some Tartar wheelbarrows, very light and handy. 

“ Some of the trees were almost in leaf ; all were 
shooting. The rivers are very empty, being drained 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


317 


by the canals for cultivation. Great work is going 
on at the third river, where a bridge is being built by 
the Atalik’s order. They have made two piers in 
the middle of the stream (with noses both ways). 
They consist of a casing of planks riveted together 
with iron, and filled up with great stones. Less 
elaborate piers, or rather breakwaters, have been 
erected to protect the banks above the bridge 
from the action of the stream, and the spaces 
between the breakwaters and the bridge have just 
been planted with willow cuttings, to strengthen 
the bank by their roots. 

“The whole way the ground is cultivated, 
excepting the basin of the last river, which is left 
in pasture. Farmhouses are dotted over the whole 
country, their orchards and plantations hiding the 
view beyond a few hundred yards. There were a 
great many ‘ arabas ’ on the road. 

“ The next morning was cloudless, with white 
frost and a thin coat of ice on the wayside pools. 
I made another excursion to get a view of the 
mountains. A perfect view all round. There are 
enormous mountains to the south-west with snow 
extending at least three-fifths of the way down 
from their tops. The northern and the southern 
ranges trend away to the westward, where there 
is an apparent opening (a little north of west) 
occupied by lower spurs, and where no snowy 
range is visible. Thus the ranges form a deep bay 
of which we cannot see the end. Almost immedi- 
ately south of us the southern range culminates 
in a gigantic knot of peaks, and then turns off 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


318 

southward out of sight. But the northern range 
continues far away to the eastward till it vanishes 
from mere distance ; a long wall of snowy moun- 
tains (called first ‘ Karantagh,’ and further east 
‘Mooztagh’) from which long lines of lower ridges 
run out into the plain. Over these lower ridges, 
and parallel to the higher range runs the road to 
Aksoo, crossing as many as eight several ‘ cols,’ or 
small passes. 

“The Yoozbashee fell ill, and came part of the 
way in an ‘ araba.’ We stopped half-way at a 
village, and had a dastar-khan and pilao. A hot 
ride afterwards into Yang-hissar. The country is 
even more cultivated than I had thought it in the 
winter. There are a few tracts of pasture. 

“Before reaching Yang-hissar, they made me 
put on a crimson satin robe and velvet cap ; so I 
rode in in triumph ! I am lodged in a mosque 
near the fort, and opposite the camp of the Envoy 
from Kolab (one of the small states of Western 
Toorkistan). 

“ My master of ceremonies, Ala Akhoond, met 
us half-way, and rode in with us. Numerous 
officials seem to float in front of us, though we 
appear unable to grasp them, as it were. They 
disappear as soon as seen, and finally rejoin one’s 
party mysteriously and are found in one’s train. 
They prepared everything, and ushered us into our 
lodging. 

At Yang-hissar, on Sunday, the nth: “I have 
spent a much pleasanter day than for several months 
past. We seem to have re-entered the ivorld again. 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


319 


after our long seclusion. We are living in a 
mosque just outside the gate of the fortress, and 
between it and the town, which is about a quarter 
of a mile off. Our mosque is raised some height 
above the ground, and, sitting on a kind of covered 
platform at one side, one can see a long way over 
the country. On one side this platform is left 
open, but the side opposite the door of the mosque 
is shut in with silken screens, of the kind called in 
India ‘kanats’ (which are generally used as the 
side walls of tents). Other ‘kanats’ enclose a 
small open space, of which the fourth side is 
formed by a row of small chambers, running at 
right angles from the end of the mosque. Tents 
for the servants are pitched outside, in a little 
garden by the side of a tank which belongs to the 
mosque. 

“ The gate of the fort is about 100 yards off, and 
the road leading thence to the town has been 
thronged all day with people, forming a good 
noisy boisterous crowd, collected to see the dis- 
tribution of the King’s bounty to a lot of poor 
people, the maimed, the halt, the blind, and the 
professional beggars, who have gathered from the 
surrounding district. After gazing at nothing but 
bare walls for nearly three months, it is inde- 
scribably pleasant to watch this scene of life and 
activity : the crowd swaying to and fro, the small 
boys skirmishing round its skirts, and making 
themselves a nuisance to the steady-going sight- 
seers, as they do all over the world. Not content 
with the dust stirred up by the movements of the 


320 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


multitude from ground where it lies three or four 
inches deep, they swept it about with their boots, 
and pelted one another with it, and when a ‘devil’ 
(a small whirlwind, common in India as well as 
here) raised its revolving column of sand, they 
made common cause with it, rushing after it from 
all quarters, and struggling to throw their caps 
into the vortex, for the pleasure of seeing them 
whirled up into the air. 

“ Then there are the ‘ faqueers,’ or dervishes, in 
their tall conical caps, carrying a gourd by their 
side. More than a hundred of them sat down in a 
row, waiting for their turn in the distribution of 
money. Stragglers of these would come periodi- 
cally to the foreigner’s camp to ask for alms, and 
when they received their allowance of bread or 
rice, would repeat an Arabic prayer, with out- 
spread hands, finishing with an ‘ Allaho-akber,’ as 
they drew them slowly over their face, down to the 
tip of their beards. One of them, with long elf-locks 
(a rare sight here), came and addressed me in Per- 
sian, begging, not for himself, but for his horse, an 
uncommonly good-looking one, which he was lead- 
ing by the bridle. I had before heard of beggars 
on horseback, but had never seen one. Indeed,- 
they are proverbially said to ride in another direc- 
tion. Among the rest I recognized a most amus- 
ing young beggarwhom I had seen at Kashghar, a 
small boy of four or five years old, with only one 
eye, who lisps out Arabic prayers in a most volu- 
ble manner, chattering away in Toorkee in the 
intervals, and interrupting himself to pick the big 









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THE RETURN TO YaRKAND. 


321 


lumps of su.s^ar, or the most tempting ‘pistachio’ 
nuts, out of the things which are being poured into 
the skirt of his coat, held up for the purpose. His 
parents seem to wind him up before they send him 
in to beg, for nothing stops him in his voluble, but 
incomprehensible, invocation of blessings. | 

“ A separate crowd is formed by the women, 
with their round blaek-rimmed pork-pie hats (their 
winter head-dress), and white head-kerchiefs. 
When they pass in front of my abode, they drop 
their small net veils over their faces. The respect- 
able men and local dignitaries, when they pass, 
make me low reverences with folded hands, add- 
ing the usual salutation, ‘ As-salam aleikoom,’ 
never suspecting me to be an unbeliever, but tak- 
ing me for some swell Mussulman, in my silk robes 
and turban. There is a never-ending stream of 
horsemen going in and out of the fort gateway : 
the officials in brilliant garments with silver- 
mounted belts and swords, their guns slung over 
their shoulders ; the moollahs in loose, sober- 
colored robes ungirt at the waist, and huge white 
turbans ; grooms in high boots, taking their 
masters’ horses out to exercise or water, riding 
one and leading another, both in their stable 
clothing, which covers them up to their eyes, much 
like that of English horses. 

“ On the other side of my dwelling are some 
men at work making a vegetable garden, throw- 
ing up the ground into ridges and furrows for 
irrigation. No Englishman could labor harder, or 
do more work. When I sent them out some bread, 


322 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


&c., they made low bows, and sat down together 
to make a meal, bringing out their bottle-shaped 
gourds full of water, which had been covered up 
by their overcoats from the heat. But they made 
no long business of it ; they ate the bread, and 
immediately got up again to work, only inter- 
rupting themselves twice in the afternoon to say 
their usual prayers, prostrating themselves on the 
newly-turned earth. 

“ In the same direction also lies a walled en- 
closure, occupied by barracks, from which issued a 
company of red-coated foot soldiers, led by a 
captain in blue. Their uniform has a very Ori- 
ental look : long robes, reaching below the knees, 
turned up with black at the edges and round the 
cuts at the sides ; wide trowsers, the same ; and a 
conical cap, blue with a red tip ; a curved scimitar 
at the side, hanging from a belt crowded with 
pouches and flasks. They have no idea of march- 
ing in any regular formation, but come strag- 
gling after their captain. 

“ In the afternoon a horse with fine trappings 
came for the Moonshee, and he was taken away 
into the fort to say ‘ Allaho-akber ’ to the King 
for it ; which he did from a distance, as before. 
The saddle-cloth is of the Chinese silk-embroidery 
on cloth. 

“The next morning (the I2th) I had a parting 
interview with the King. I was taken into the 
fort, and through a wide street, bordered with 
blank walls, to the gate of the ‘ Oorda.’ Enter- 
ing this, at the end of one court-yard I saw the 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


323 


King sitting at the window of a room. As usual, 
I was made to sit down opposite him, and he told 
me to make myself comfortable. The interpreter 
was called for, and after mutual inquiries after 
health, we had another long talk, Avhich it is im- 
possible to reproduce entirely. He said he was 
going to send an envoy with me, a Sayad of high 
degree. We should go as soon as the young 
fruits of the apricots were formed, which was the 
time Avhen the passes were open. (I must inter- 
rupt myself to notice that, as the Mussulman 
lunar months run through the four seasons in a 
space of thirty-two years, they are unable to 
denote seasons by the names of months, but have 
to take some operation of nature as a guide and a 
sign, either the time of harvest, or the ripening of 
certain fruit, or, as in the present case, the setting 
of the fruit.) He informed me that he would have 
messengers sent back from Yarkand, fsom Shahi- 
doolla, from Tibet, and from Cashmere, to bring 
news of me, and of our progress. He then asked 
me, ‘Shall I send a letter to the Maharaja of 
Cashmere ? what do you advise ? and he leant 
forward to scrutinize my face for an answer. 

“I tried to excuse myself from giving one, but 
as he pressed me, I replied, ‘ It is, of course, just as 
you wish ; but my own opinion is that great Kings 
should not condescend to send letters, &c., to 
tributary chiefs.’ He turned off this subject at 
once, saying, ‘ That is all I wished to know : I 
shall send with you a man who will be under your 
orders, to send him back from Cashmere whenever 


324 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


you think fit.’ He then asked whether he should 
keep a merchant as a news-writer at Cashmere, as 
he had done hitherto. I answered, ‘ By all means, 
and I hope you will soon have a representative at 
Lahore also, through whom mutual intelligence 
may reach.’ All this I only said after a great deal 
of restiveness, telling him first that these were 
matters beyond me, and that his own judgment 
should guide him. But he put it all upon private 
friendship, saying, ‘ You know all about Hindostan, 
&c., and what is the use of having a friend if he 
will not give his advice about matters that he 
knows V Then there was more talk about the 
greatness of the Malika Sahib (the Queen), and 
her being like the sun, which warms everything 
that its rays fall upon (here the interpreter got 
into a mess, his Indian ideas of the sun being that 
it is an enemy to be avoided, and shade the chief 
blessing of life ; and he entangled himself in a 
metaphor about the sun casting its shade upon 
people !). The King went on to say that he was 
unworthy to be the friend of such a great sove- 
reign, but he hoped he might be allowed to bask 
in her rays. He desired friendly relations with us, 
as he was surrounded with enemies and jealous 
powers. 

“ Again he came to the subject of his friendship 
for me. I responded, telling him that my heart 
was knit with his, and that I should tell my 
countrymen of his kindly feelings and kind treat- 
ment. He said, ‘ Be sure to send some servant of 
yours, some Moonshee or other, often to me. 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


32 ' 


Write me word how you are, and I will send you 
news of myself ; also, ask me for whatever you 
want from this country, it is all at your service.’ 
I said I would be sure to do so, &c. During all 
this conversation he was still more friendly than 
usual, wearing a continual smile, and leaning over 
familiarly to talk to me himself in easy Persian, 
saying at every phrase, ‘ Makool, Shaw Sahib V 
(‘ Do you understand His whole manner to 
me is most prevenant and friendly, putting aside 
all affectation of dignity or reserve. P'inally, after 
tea, a robe was put on me, and he took quite 
an affectionate farewell, taking my hand in both 
of his, and holding it while he wished me safe 
home, putting me under God’s care. Then, with 
outspread hands, he repeated an Arabic prayer for 
my safety and success, drawing his hands over his 
face down to the beard, with an ‘ Allaho-akber.’ 
The interpreter, Ghoolam Kadir, was sent back 
with me to my temporary abode, to write down 
hints for presents to our Queen, which he had 
made me promise to write for him. 

“ I stated, vaguely, that things peculiar to this 
country, and not very bulky, would be most ac- 
ceptable and proper to send. So he wrote down 
a list of productions of these regions — ^jade, silk- 
stuffs, &c., &c. He went off, promising to be back 
as soon as he could, if possible before I started. 
But he did not reappear, and we took our de- 
parture almost immediately. We rode through 
the Bazar of Yang-hissar and so on to Toblok. I 
went out in the evening and took bearings of the 


326 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


mountains ; there is a remarkable depression 
visible from here, through which, according to 
Jooma, a pass leads to Kolab and Badakhshan.” 

The further journey to Yarkand occupied only 
three days, and was made without incident. The 
country through which they passed was like a 
garden, all the orchards being in blossom and the 
hedgerow trees in full leaf. 

On entering Yarkand, Shaw relates : 

“ I was led to my former house, and there again 
had to eat of a dastar-khan, followed by nearly a 
dozen hot dishes. After this I went to see the 
Governor, and had a most friendly meeting. The 
Governor met and embraced me most cordially, 
with many expressions of joy at seeing me again, 
and of sorrow at not seeing me at Kashghar. A 
propos of my visit there he related a fable. 

“ Solomon, who understood the language of 
every creature, overheard the King of the Worms 
warning his subjects against him (Solomon), and 
telling them to keep clear of him or he would crush 
them. Solomon summoned the Worm-King to 
his presence, and asked the reason of this misrep- 
resentation. The King of the Worms replied : » 
‘ If they went near and saw thee, O Solomon, they 
would never again reverence me !’ 

“ At this parable, which was given without any 
interpretation, I laughed and answered that al- 
though the Atalik-Ghazee had shown me much 
friendship and kindness, yet he (the Governor) was 
my first friend, and therefore had the precedence 
in my affections. 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


327 


“ In the evening I had a talk with the Panjabashee 
Dada-Khan about a relic of antiquity which is said 
to exist on the road from Kashghar to Khokand. 
He says it is situated at a place called ‘ Arawan,’ 
three tash (fifteen miles) beyond Oosh, and con- 
sists of a flight of ancient steps hewn in the rock, 
and leading up to the mouth of a cave, with a ver)' 
narrow and small entrance. The cave is very ex- 
tensive, and appears to be a regular labyrinth. 
These steps are known by the name of ‘ Chihil- 
Sitoon,’ or ‘ the Forty Steps.’ The natives have 
no traditions regarding them, except that they are 
very ancient.” 

For several days nothing of any importance oc- 
curred. Shaw was anxiously expecting news of 
the goods which he had left behind in Ladak, and 
concerning which such contradictory rumors had 
reached him during the winter. Ten days later, 
two of his servants who had been left in charge of 
the goods arrived at Yarkand, and reported that 
they had been misled by guides the previous au- 
tumn, some of the horses died, and the goods had 
finally been left at the foot of the Karakoram Pass. 
The hospitality of the Government fortunately 
prevented Shaw from being seriously inconveni- 
enced by this neglect and delay ; yet it was now 
desirable to obtain possession of the goods, in order 
to repay the advance made to him by the Governor 
of Yarkand. 

On the 27th of April Hayward arrived, and soon 
after managed to send a private note to Shaw, in 


328 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


which he spoke highly of the King’s kindness to 
him, on leaving Kashghar. 

On the nth of-May, Shaw writes: “During a 
visit from the Yoozbashee, I asked him about my 
going, and represented the anxiety of my friends 
at my long absence. He replied that the road 
’was still impassable on account of the waters, and 
besides, a visit to a great King of the Deen-i-Islam 
(Mohammedan faith) could not be hurried over 
so ; it was their custom to do things deliberately 
with ‘ maslahat, maslahat’ (consultation and coun- 
sel). They could not send me back at a season 
when I should lose all my horses on the road. He 
then drew a picture of the delight of my friends at 
seeing me back safe, the joy of the Lord Pashah, 
and concluded with representing a kind of war- 
dance by which they would celebrate my return ! 
He made me laugh too much to continue my com- 
plaints, which was of course his object. 

“ This morning also the Panjabashee came and 
said he had just been told that we should start in 
a month’s time, and he would go with me as far as 
Shahidoolla. We had some further talk about the 
horse that had been given me in the morning. He 
said the Governor wanted to know whether I 
wanted another. I answered, ‘ My mouth is shut, 
for when I ask leave to biiy a horse, the Governor 
gives me one instead. There are several other 
things I wanted to buy, such as mules, a few horse- 
loads of silk as a sample, &c., but I am in a fix. 
If I buy them without asking, the Governor will be 
displeased. If I ask him. he will make me a pres- 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


329 


ent of them. So shame keeps me silent.’ He 
said, ‘ If you will trust to me, I will arrange all 
that before you go. As for the mules, I will get 
them for you as if they were for carrying loads. 
You can give them light burdens as far as Sanjoo, 
and then take them on empty.’ 

“ I do not think that I have yet described the 
Toorkee manner of treating horses, which differs 
in many respects from ours. As a rule, they are 
kept saddled and tight-girt both by day and night, 
and many Toorks will not allow their horses to lie 
down at all ; saying that, if they do so, the corn 
settles in their legs and feet, and makes them 
lame! So they tie them up short by the head. At 
the beginning of the day’s march before the sun is 
high, they are allowed a full drink of water at the 
first stream, but are given no more during the day, 
or until they have been in several hours. On com- 
ing in from a journey or ride, the horses are first 
walked up and down for two or three hours by 
small boys ; after which, without unsaddling them, 
or even loosing the girths, they are covered up 
from head to tail with several thick horsecloths, 
even in the hottest weather, and tied up as I have 
Jescribed, merely taking the bit out of their mouths, 
but leaving it hanging under their chins. After 
some hours they are taken to water, and a little 
hay is given them, and afterwards their corn ; but 
unless it is still early, they are not cleaned till the 
next morning, as far as I have observed. At any 
rate, they are not touched till at least five 01 six 
hours after they have come in. 


330 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


“ In cleaning, a curry-comb is used, but after- 
wards, instead of a brush, they employ a small 
broom of twigs similar to the birchen switch 
formerly so familiar to schoolboys. With this 
they switch the horse all over by quick motions ot 
the wrist ; first of all, the reverse way of the hairs, 
and then the proper way. This little instrument 
is most effective, and leaves the horse with a 
beautifully clean and glossy coat. The Toorks 
are most particular about this, thrashing their 
grooms heartily if they detect the least neglect. 
The master will often test the cleanness of his 
horse with the cuff of his white under-robe or shirt. 
He wets this a little, and rubs’ the horse’s coat ; 
nothing will satisfy him but to be able to do this 
without leaving the least mark on the white sleeve. 
As a rule, horses here are not shod except for 
journeys in the mountains. But I need not say 
there are no macadamized roads to batter their 
feet — the whole country, roads included, being 
very soft earth, ready to fly into dust.” 

Shaw succeeded in having an interview with a 
man who had some of Schlagintweit’s property in 
his possession, but the latter refused to give it up, 
promising to deliver it in Ladak, at some later 
time. As the month of May wore on, there were 
signs of preparation for the return journey. On 
the 20th, Shaw reports : “ This morning the Yooz- 
bashee came to bring me a message from the 
Governor, that our time was now near, and our 
horses should be got ready for the journey. 
Everything I wanted to buy I must make haste 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


331 


and get. He concluded by appealing to me to 
mention what presents I should like the Governor 
to give me, as he was my friend. I replied that, 
according to our customs, it was very improper to 
ask one’s friends for presents, and I could not do 
so. He cried out at this, ‘You are not in your 
own country now, and you must here do as we do.’ 
I had some difficulty in silencing my agent, who 
began enumerating a lot of things to be given to 
me. However, the Yoozbashee declared that the 
Governor would be offended if I did not mention 
my wishes, and started off, saying, ‘ Well, the 
Moonshee shall do ‘ maslahat ’ (deliberate), and 
tell the result afterwards.’ 

“ He afterwards met Jooma, and told him to get 
fifteen horses ready at once, as we should go in ten 
days. The merchants are having their goods 
taken to Kargalik by relays, ready for their start. 
The reason the caravan men give for this is that in 
four or five days the river (Yarkand) will come 
down full of water, and will then have to be crossed 
in boats. 

“ Two days later, the Yoozbashee took me to 
see the Governor. We began to talk about the 
heat of the weather ; he said what made it worse 
was that there was no rain to cool the air, whereas 
in Andijan, though it was very hot, yet frequent 
showers made it more bearable. I said, ‘ I fancy 
the climate of Andijan is not unlike that of my 
own country, England. I hear there is plenty of 
snow there in winter, and plenty of rain in summer, 
as with us.’ ‘Just so,’ he replied, ‘England is 


332 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


probably due west from Andijan, and opposite it, 
which makes the climates similar.’ I explained 
that England was still farther north than Andijan, 
nearer the pole-star, which, seen from my country, 
is higher in the heavens than from here. ‘ Indeed, 
he replied, with an interested air, ‘ I did not know 
that. Which of the seven climes is your country 
in ? What is the length of the day there, si.xtcen 
hours I answered that we had not the same 
division into seven climes, as they had, for we 
divided the earth into five zones, so I could not 
tell which of the climes we belonged to. But on 
the longest day we have about eighteen or nine- 
teen hours of daylight out of the twenty-four. 
He held up his hands at this, and exclaimed, ‘ You 
must be on the extreme verge of the fifth clime.’ 

“ I then told him that still farther north, where 
our ships went to catch big fish, the sun did not 
descend below the horizon night or day, during 
the summer. He asked me what kind of people 
lived there, explaining that, according to their 
theories, such a climate must influence the juices 
of the body in such a way as to produce great 
strength. I told him of the Esquimaux, who were 
no higher than my breast ; upon which he re- 
marked that they must be stunted by the cold. I 
told him our Government had sent many vessels 
to explore those regions, with learned men and 
‘ hakeems,’ to report on the natural phenomena. 
He replied, ‘ That is the part of a wise govern- 
ment to obtain information on every subject.’ I 
continued, ‘ We English have a great liking for 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


333 


such inquiries. Among other things, we are much 
interested in Central Asia, because we believe that 
most of the nations that now inhabit the West 
originally came from these regions. Our learned 
men, therefore, are very curious regarding the past 
history of these countries.’ He said, ‘ I will either 
get you a book which shall tell you all about this 
or else write it out for you myself.’ I thanked him 
very sincerely, and said, ‘ I talk of these things to 
you because I see that you take an interest in such 
matters, just as our own learned doctors do.’ 

“ He then said, ‘ You are the first Englishman 
that I have ever seen, and I am the first Andijanee 
that you have seen. I trust we shall be firm 
friends, and our two nations as well. You have 
opened the door of intercourse between us ; may 
it never be shut.’ I replied, ‘ That was the pur- 
pose for which I came, and as the Atalik-Ghazee 
bid me send my servant every year to Toorkistan, 
so I hope by that opportunity to hear every year 
also of your prosperity and good health.’ He 
answered, ‘ Al-hamd-ool-Illah ’ (Thank God) ‘the 
door is open, and I trust it may be as you say.’ I 
then told him that I had now been absent a long 
while from my country, and my friends would be 
\nxious about me ; therefore I should be glad to 
get leave to depart as soon as he and the King 
thought fit. He replied, ‘ You are our guest, and 
we cannot say to you, “ Go on the contrary, we 
should wish to keep you with us altogether. For 
A short time longer the passes will detain you ; but 
the time is near ; probably towards the end of this 


334 


CKXTRAL ASIA. 


moon the road will be open. The merchants came 
and asked me to let them start and go as far as 
Shahidoolla, to wait for the proper time to cross, 
but I would not allow them. It is not fitting that 
any one should go before you.’ 

“I then motioned for the dastar-khan to be 
removed (which had been put before me as usual, 
as also repeated cups of tea, both to the Governor 
and myself). The usual robe was then brought in 
(two this time, one above the other), and the 
Governor, rising up when I did, said, with a laugh, 
as I put on the robes, ‘ We have made quite an 
Andijanee of you ; you have taken our dress and 
our manners.’ I answered, ‘ We have a proverb, 
that “ When you are in Turkey, you must do as 
the Turks do.”’ This proverb delighted him, as 
he, of course, applied it to the Central Asia 
Toorks. As usual, he accompanied me to the 
door, and parted from me with a dignified and 
courteous bow. 

“ I note this conversation about the climes, as 
showing the intelligence and knowledge of the 
man. For an Asiatic to be aware (without 
European learning) that greater distance north- 
ward is accompanied by greater disparity between 
the lengths of night and of day is very unusual in 
my experience. His division of the world into 
‘ climes’ seems to be regulated by the length of 
the longest day, and is therefore purely a division 
according to latitude, although arbitrary as to the 
number fixed upon.” 

On the 27th of May, Hayward secretly sent 


THE RETURN TO YARKAND. 


335 


Shaw his maps and manuscripts, as he heard that 
the latter would be sent off before him. But the 
very next day Shaw writes, in great joy : — “ The 
Yoozbashee came to state that we should start the 
day after to-morrow ! A note fromHayward say- 
ing he goes the same day. Tumult of preparations. 

“ I went to see the Governor after the second 
prayer of the afternoon. On my asking whether 
there was anything he wished me to send him from 
India, he said he was a mere soldier, and what 
should he care for but guns ! but he desired my 
happiness, and after that he wished for guns. I 
sounded him about the proposed envoy who was 
to have gone with me ; — but he ignores him 
altogether : — he says I have opened the door, and 
my name and friendship is engraven in his heart 
as on stone — that neither wind nor rain can efface 
it, and only death can destroy the inscription.” 

And finally, on the 29th : “ I am busy in pre- 
parations. Concluded arrangements with an 
Argoon for nine horses to Ladak. The Yoozba- 
shce brought presents — two pieces of silk, a pair 
of boots, sugar, &c. He said that the Governor 
would be engaged to-morrow morning, so I had 
better wish him good-bye through the Moonshee 
now. The latter went, and gave the Governor my 
revolver as a parting gift. In return the Governor 
said he was my friend, and therefore desired as 
keepsakes my own pocket-knife and my compass ! 
I sent them at once ; of course the object was to 
get hold of my compass. He does not know that 
I have another ! 


CHAPTER XVII. 

CROSSING THE KARAKORAM PASS, AND END OF 
THE JOURNEY. 

the 30th of May, 1869, Shaw was dispatched 
from Yarkand, not having been allowed to 
see more of the city than on his first visit. The 
horses were not ready until the middle of the 
afternoon, so only seven or eight miles were 
traversed. The road led southward through a 
beautiful green country, dotted with large farm- 
houses, surrounded by orchards. In one of these, 
which had a court-yard covered with vines on 
trellis-work, they camped for the night. Half an 
hour after their arrival Hayward and his escort 
were announced, but the latter was lodged in 
another part of the building. 

The next morning, however, the two travellers 
were allowed to meet, and thenceforth they 
formed but one party. Hayward informed Shaw 
that he had not been permitted to enter Ydrkand 
either going to or returning from Kashghar, but 
was taken around the city outside of the walls. 
At the little town of Poskyam, where they 
stopped after a short day’s journey, they were 


CROSSING THE KARAKORAM PASS. 


337 


furnished with lodgings inside the walls. In the 
evening a man possessed with a devil was brought 
to Shaw to be cured ! — but he declined to under- 
take so serious a case. 

For several days the road lay through a green 
and fertile country, very beautiful to the eye. 
The marches were very short, to accommodate 
the convenience of the native officials who still 
accompanied the travellers, but as the camping- 
places were usually farm-houses, with gardens and 
shaded court-yards, and Shaw and Hayward now 
took their meals together, the journey was very 
agreeable. The cultivation was rather rude, but 
there could be no doubt of the fertility of the soil 
and the favorable character of the climate. The 
vine grew luxuriantly everywhere, and the walnut 
and mulberry trees were of very large size. 

At Kargalik, where they halted three days, the 
Yoozbashee gave them an entertainment of music 
and dancing, the band consisting of guitar, violon- 
cello, dulcimer and tamborine. At this place, 
on the 4 th of June, barley was ripening, and wheat 
in full ear, though still green. Early nectarines 
and apricots were brought to the travellers. The 
whole country is irrigated from the mountain- 
streams, as there is very little rain-fall. 

On the 6th, they advanced bo Besharik, only one 
hour’s ride, over a stony desert. The next day, 
however, they made 22 miles, to Bora, crossing 
another stony tract, covered with rounded pebbles 
and sand, like a sea-beach. The valley-oasis ol 
Bora was beautifully green and fertile : maize was 


338 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


already two feet high. The valley is watered by 
a small stream, flowing through deep banks lined 
with reeds. Shaw thus records his journeys, on 
the 8th and 9th of June : 

“ We ascended from the fertile valley of Bora 
to the barren plains which slope down from the 
mountains, and through which the several streams 
have cut their way, each forming a sunken oasis 
down its course. These sloping barren plains, at 
the foot of the mountains, form a peculiar feature 
of the country ; they are found also on the west- 
ern side, when we passed through them from 
Kokhrabat to Yang-hissar. 

“After winding for twelve miles through the 
sand-hills, which cover this plain, we reached the 
brink of another oasis, into which we descended to 
the village of Ooee-Taghruk. It is only about a 
mile above the village that the little ravine or 
valley begins to sink below the level of the plain, 
gradually increasing its depth till it runs between 
cliffs 300 feet high, being itself about half-a-mile 
wide and beautifully cultivated. The plain is 
formed of water-worn stones (including pieces of 
granite) and sand, suggesting the idea of its hav- 
ing been the beach of some inland sea, which may 
have covered Eastern Toorkistan up to the base of 
the mountains which surround it on three sides. 
The edges of this sloping beach, towards the 
lower plains (or the bed of the imaginary sea), are 
cut into ravines and broken ground. These 
ravines, for the most part, contain only brushwood; 
Dut such of them as extend far enough back, and 


CROSSING THE KARAKORAM PASS. 339 

have their source in the mountains, form the lovely 
fertile oases of Bora, Ooee-Taghruk, Koshtak, 
Sanjoo, &c. It is decidedly much cooler here. 
No fruit is ripe, and the barley is still green. 

“ The next day we rcxle on to Sanjoo. The last 
five miles we came through sandy hillocks gradu- 
ally ascending to the brim, whence a descent of 
800 or 1000 feet leads down into the valley of 
Sanjoo. We were met half down this descent by 
our old friends the Alam Akhoond (chief-priest) 
and two Kirghiz headmen. Dastar-khans were 
spread for us at the entrance of the cultivation. 
We rode two miles through houses and fields, 
down the valley, crossing the river. Hayward was 
shown to a place prepared for him in a garden. I 
was taken on to the house of Mahammad Bai (the 
old man of Sanjoo), where I was shown to a kind 
of dais, with carpets and a raised seat, and a tent- 
roof overhead. Tea was poured out for myself 
and the Yoozbashee by the son of old Mahammad 
Bai, the Kirghiz chiefs sitting on the edge of the 
carpet and receiving tea also. Afterwards I had 
a visit from the Beg of Khoten, Mansoor Khoja, a 
jolly fat man, formerly Governor of Yarkan,d city, 
who fell into disgrace and was imprisoned for a 
year. He was only let out about six months ago. 
The house I lived in at Yarkand had been his. He 
has been newly appointed to Sanjoo, and seems to 
think such an office rather below his dignity. On 
my saying (in order to console him) that his dis- 
trict was of high importance, being the door of 
communication between India and Toorkistan, he 


340 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


rejoined, ‘ Then I am the Ghoolam-i-Darwazah, 
(Slave of the Gate). He came and sat with me 
several times, and when the Yoozbashee was not 
there, he broached his grievances (begging me not 
to mention them). ‘ However,’ he said, ‘ I do 
my best in my present position. The late Beg, 
(Shereef Khan, whom I had seen when I passed 
through Sanjoo before), ‘ was dismissed and impris- 
oned for his tyranny. The peasants were half 
ruined,’ continued the Slave of the Gate, ‘so I have 
been trying to set them up again ; borrowing 
money and advancing it to them to buy cattle, &c., 
with.’ 

“ At Sanjoo we halted a day to prepare for our 
journey and load up provisions, &c. My host (old 
Mahammad Bai) and his sons were very polite. 
He is a rich old farmer, with a very pretty daugh- 
ter. I saw this damsel several times when she 
came out of the house with a jar on her shoulder, 
and accompanied by a female servant or slave, to 
fetch water for the household. She seemed to 
fetch far more jars full than could be necessary, 
and made little opportunities of lingering about 
the doorway and looking at the English stranger 
and all his wonderful arrangements. I learned, 
afterwards, that my Yoozbashee was in love with 
this young lady (I quite admired his taste, nothing 
could be prettier than her dark eyelashes, rosy 
cheeks, and dimpled chin). He had asked old 
Mahammad Bai to give her to him in marriage, 
but the old man said he wished his daughter to 
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TURKOMAN WUIIDINU PARTY. 



CRO:iSING THE KARAKORAM PASS. 


341 


settle down near him, and not a soldier who was 
always on horseback, at one moment on the Pamir 
and the next on the borders of China. The 
Yoozbashee hopes to persuade him, and I was 
astonished to see the alacrity with which my highly 
connected guardian got off his horse and ran for- 
ward to embrace the old farmer. But love levels 
all distinctions apparently, in Toorkistan as well as 
elsewhere.” 

Leaving Sanjoo on the 12th, they took a new 
route to the southward, to avoid going up the 
Sanjoo river, which was still much swollen. The 
first day’s journey was along the valley of a smaller 
stream, between sandy ridges, to a camp at a 
solitary farm-house. “ On starting the next 
morning, the Yoozbashee called for the old 
moollah, to whom the house and orchard belonged, 
and said to him ‘ dua kilip ’ (say a prayer) ! Upon 
which the old man went down on his knees, with 
outspread hands, every one else outspreading 
theirs also, while he prayed, after which we all 
stroked our beards, and the Yoozbashee cried 
‘ Barak-allah, barak-allah’ (with God’s blessing) ; 
and so we rode away. 

“ Still following up the stream, while it enters 
the higher mountains, we came in sight of the crest 
of the range at the head of our valley. It was 
covered with snow, below which some bright 
green grassy slopes extend, a great contrast to 
the barren mountains around. We camped at the 
junction of a valley leading away westward, at the 
head of which is the small pass which we were to 


342 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


cross the next day, and which will lead us back 
into the valley of the Sanjoo stream, but at such 
a point that we shall no longer have any difficulty 
on account of its swollen state. 

“ On the road, Hayward often' stops behind to 
take observations. The Yoozbashee seems to have 
got quite accustomed to this now, and says to me, 
‘ There he is, off again after some new road.’ 
They have an idea that his sole object in explor- 
ing is to find some easy road into their country. 

“ The Yoozbashee is redoubling his attentions 
as the time approaches for us to part. To-day he 
gave us some cold breakfast on our arrival, as our 
things were not up. He tells us that the Toorks 
are lovers of horses (ashik). 

“ On the 14th we crossed the Choo-choo Pass. 
First up the side valley six miles, then an easy 
climb up to the Pass, which leads across a spur of 
the range. The descent is chiefly down a narrow 
gorge, emerging into a more open valley, which 
leads to the Sanjoo Stream. We turned up this 
stream, crossing it three times, passed the old 
ruined wall which used to guard the valley, to a 
patch of cultivation and the few huts of Tam. We 
arrived about 2 P. M. Presently the river rose 
suddenly so as to become impassable, thus cutting 
off all our baggage from us. We had to sleep in 
one of the huts without bedding, -on the ground, 
and with our saddles for pillows. The Yooz- 
bashee and his man were firing at a mark ; also a 
Shikaree (or hunter) who lives here. This man is 
said to be able to shoot an apple off a man’s head. 


C/^OSS/NG THE KARAKORAM PASS. 


343 


and to have done so the other day at Khoten before 
the king, who gave him a considerable reward. 

“ Our baggage rejoined us the next morning 
when the stream had diminished sufficiently. It 
was still quite high at 5 A. M. We rode a few 
miles up the stream, and encamped on a grassy 
spot to consult with the Kirghiz about our future 
movements. 

“On the i6th we pushed on to a place called 
Kichik Yelak, the ‘ small pasture.’ At five miles 
a valley joins from the right ; at eight miles the 
road begins to ascend long grassy slopes, occu- 
pying a broad valley. At the junction of a valley 
from the left we came upon a Kirghiz camp, four 
akooees pitched separate for myself, Hayward, 
Moonshee, and Yoozbashee. Yoozbashee told me 
a story of a small Russian force near Chimkend 
being surrounded, and agreeing to become Mus- 
sulmans (!) in three days’ time. At the end ofthe 
three days it was found that they had strongly en- 
trenched themselves, and declined to come over 
to the true faith. 

“ All the Kirghiz came out to meet us. Nume- 
rous greetings from old acquaintances. The Kir- 
ghiz here consists of twenty-two households, which 
were called 2. yiirt ; he says that the latter word 
is not applied to the felt tents, which are called 
nki-cees. There were no camels at this place. A 
Kirghiz akooee which I measured was 51 feet in 
circumference, 8 feet high in the middle, and 4 feet 
at the sides to the springing of the dome.” 

On the 17th of June, Shaw and Hayward halted 


344 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


at the foot of the Grim Dewan, or Sanjoo Pass, 
which the former had crossed on his way to Yar- 
kan 1, nearly seven months previous. Some of 
the servants were sent on in advance with the 
baggage, which was taken over the pass on the 
backs of Kirghiz yaks. The next morning, the 
travellers started on yaks also, after taking an 
affectionj.te farewell of the Yoozbashee, who 
embraced Shaw almost with tears. Several officers 
remained, to cross the pass with them. “ First,” 
says Shaw, “ we went up slopes of grass, sur- 
rounded on three sides by snow mountains, — a 
kind of bay; then we turned off to the south up 
the ridge. There was no snow until the very 
summit, though off the road it was lying 1500 feet 
below the top. We found more on the southern 
descent, which was slushy for 1000 yards. We 
rode to the very top, and found the baggage on 
the other side. Here we took leave of two more 
of the officials, and went on with fifteen yaks and 
five or six Kirghiz. We went down the bed of 
the stream, which was much swollen, to a camp- 
ing-place on the former journey. 

“ The next morning (the 19th) we descended to 
the Karakash River. Then we breakfasted, and 
then walked twenty minutes up-stream where deep 
water runs against the rocky side, and everything 
has to be carried by men for fifty yards. The 
horses were sent round above. The Kirghiz drove 
their yaks through the stream, here about forty 
yards wide, averaging two feet deep, running four 
miles an hour, by experiment. Another twenty 


CJ?OSS/ATG THE KARAKORAM PASS. 


345 


minutes’ walk to rejoin the horses, then one hour 
further to camp in grass and bush jungle. 

“ Here we halted for a day, waiting for the bag- 
gage to rejoin us from the last stopping-place. 
We also shod the horses. An old Kirghiz, seeing 
me with this very Diary Book, asked whether it 
>was the Koran. I said it was a Kitab (book), upon 
which he reverentially touched it with his finger, 
which he then kissed. 

“ I had a conversation with this old Kirghiz. 
He says this tribe first lived in Sarikol, but were 
so persecuted by the Kanjootees (yaman kafirs, 
evil heathens he calls them), that they migrated 
to Sarikeea* twenty years ago ; they consisted ot 
thirty families. Since the Atalik has been in 
power, the security now enjoyed in Sarikol has in- 
duced a fresh immigration of Kirghiz from the Alai 
plains (in Khokand), and they now number 200 
tents. It is ten or fifteen days’ ride from Shahi- 
doolla to Taghdoombasht in the Sarikol district, 
and about as far onwards to Andijan across the 
Pamir. The passes are low. There is no lake 
called Sarikol, but one, twelve days round, called 
Karakul. The Pamir is covered with grass, and 
abounds in wild animals, among which are the big- 
horned ‘ arkar ’ {Ovis Pali), and its female, the 
‘ goolja ;’ they are very shy. The Kirghiz asked 
me whether I had any ‘ Araw^miltek,’ or Frankish 

* Sarikeea is the name given to the pasturages on the upper course 
of the Karakash River. 

t Taghdoombash means “the head of mountains.” It is th 
upper part of the Sarikol district. 


346 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


gun, by which he means a rifle (as I found by his 
description) ; he said he and the other Kirghiz 
were mad upon them, and would perform any 
service to obtain one. 

“ On approaching the Fort of Shahidoolla, on 
the 2ist, we were met by five soldiers under a Pan- 
jabashee about two miles out. They made com- 
plimentary inquiries after our health, &c., and rode 
back with us. We crossed the river twice, and 
camped near the Fort. There was a little spit- 
ting rain in the evening : the snow was down to 
looo feet above the valley. 

“ On the 23d I started with a few light loads, 
leaving my heavier things to follow. Hayward 
did the same. I took my own five horses and 
three of Jooma’s. The Panjabashee and four sol- 
diers escorted us for a mile out, and then took 
leave respectfully. There is plenty of grass at the 
evening’s camp, under an immense old moraine 
descending from the snow mountains to the east 
of the valley, and plenty of shrubby wood also by 
the stream. 

“ The next day’s march, to Chibra, was eight 
and a quarter hours, or fifteen miles. Our Pass of 
Souget wound up the stony bed of the valley, first 
one mile south-west, then half a mile west. (Here 
a nullah joined from the west by which one could 
get over into the Khirghiz Pass Nullah.) After a 
couple of miles more S.S.W., we emerged from 
the stony nullah, and entered on an almo-st flat 
country bordered on both sides with rounded 
mountains, leaving a broad, open valley between. 


CROSSING THE KARAKORAM PASS- 


347 


Here we continued S.S.W. for a couple of miles 
more, approaching a snowy range of rounded hills 
which ran right across our front. Approaching 
the foot of these we found one open valley running 
down from the right, and another from the left, 
forming one straight line, and having their exit by 
the road we had come. To the left we turned S.E. 
towards the pass at the head. The opposite valley 
having a similar but snowless pass at its head, N.W. 
For six miles we gradually ascended the open 
valley to the foot of a short and rather steep ascent 
covered with snow. A quarter of an hour placed 
us on the top of it. From the pass a gentle slope 
in a broad valley for three miles S.E., after which 
it turns round S.S.E. for half a mile, when we 
reached a dry nullah with a few stone enclosures 
and many dead horses. Here we halted. Valleys 
with easy passes through low snow mountains 
leading about N.E. to the Karakash. 

“ On the 25th we went on from Chibra to Chad- 
artash. For six miles we went down the broad 
valley south, the mountains on either hand gradu- 
ally diminishing in height till they sank into the 
plain or high tableland through which an almost- 
dry river-bed cut its course, twenty or thirty feet 
deep. Thence turning S.S.W. we had a full view 
of the high snow mountains opposite (Karakoram), 
of which we had been seeing more and more peaks 
ever since Chibra. Ascending the level of the 
table-land on our right, we saw a cut in the range 
S.S.W. This leads to the Karakoram Pass. 
Further to the left, snowy mountains come round 


348 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


(bordering the upper Karakash), getting more and 
more rounded, though still snowy, till they meet 
the Kuen Lun or Sooget Range behind us. This 
range, a high snowy one, faces the Karakoram, 
being about parallel and more regular as we see 
the actual range, while of the Karakoram we only 
see the snowy buttresses, not the actual water- 
shed : one is an army in line, the other is an army 
in parallel columns, of which we can only see the 
heads. The whole space to our left is a high 
irregular table-land, sloping up for thirty miles or 
so to the mountains to the east, which bound the 
Upper Karakash. 

■“ Through these mountains a pass is visible 
southward, between a rocky peak to the south and 
a high double snowy mountain to the north. This 
high table-land which I have mentioned is called 
the ‘ Dubsa Sergot or Sertkol it appears utterly 
barren. A broad almost dry river-bed issues 
from it and unites at our feet with a similar 
one from the Karakara Pass opening, and with 
the one we have followed down from Chibra. 
The three go off together north-westward, 
forming the Yarkand River (which here has but 
little water, scarcely flowing, so gentle is the 
slope of the broad shingly bed). Further on this 
appears to sink deeper, and to become a kind of 
ravine between the barren spurs sent out from the 
Sooget snowy range to the north, and one from the 
Karakoram on the south. Then the character of 
the country seems to change from the open pla- 
teau on which we now are. Here one is reminded 


CROSSING THE KARAKORAM PASS. 349 

of views of Iceland, so close does the snow of the 
mountain sides come down to the plains. These 
mountains, although probably none less than 
18,000 feet, seem mere hills, so high is the plateau 
from which they rise. The contrast between the 
view east and the view west is remarkable. 

“Descending into the shingly bed again, we 
turned towards the Karakoram, though the differ- 
ence between our former descent and our present 
ascent was scarcely perceptible. After a couple 
of miles from the turn S.S.W. we cross the shingly 
bed from the Dubsa Sergot. Here it was evident 
that it came from the pass of the Karakash, which 
hence bore S. E. The furthest point to which we 
could trace the Yarkand River bore h’ence N. W. 
by W. Four miles further, a few dead horses, in a 
side bed, marked the halting-place called Malik- 
shah. Here, on the table-land to the left, we saw 
six white bucks (Tibet antelope). Beyond this 
the river-bed became entirely dry, and we marched 
up its interminable plains for eleven miles, till 
some low spurs from the Karakoram formed a kind 
of portal, through which we entered the mountains 
again : this is Wahabjilga. Thence, through a 
broad mountain valley three miles S.W. by S. to a 
solitary rock in a grass-plot standing in the middle 
of the shingly bed, which here has a little water 
in it. The slopes near have a little Tibet spiky 
grass : this is Chadar-tfish (tent-stone) where we 
camped. No water or grass between Malikshah 
and this. 

“ The next day we made only one and a hali 


350 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


hours >= 5 miles. To the east of Chadartash a 
broad valley plain leads to an apparent Pass 
through snowy downs about fifteen miles off. This 
Pass bears S. E. by S., and probably leads to the 
Upper Karakash also. Hayward means to try 
this route, so here we part. Starting I passed one 
^of those large ice-sheets which are common in 
these parts, formed by the repeated floodings and 
freezings of the stream in flat parts of its bed. At 
a mile from Chadartash I obtained a view of the 
Sooget Pass through an opening. Halted on a 
slope with a little grass at a place where the bed 
of the stream forms a little plain of shingle sur- 
rounded by red hills, just before the entrance of 
some valley among big snow mountains. They 
say there is no grass further up, and the Pass is 
still distant. Went up a ridge three miles, to get 
a better view. 

“ On Sunday, June 27th, we made a halt. In 
the morning the mule and the gray horse (Yooz- 
bashee) were missing. I sent out in all directions. 
Yoosaf on the other gray, after hunting about for 
the tracks, was suddenly seen to go off straight 
down the valley like an old hound that has found 
the scent. I found the two tracks leading that 
way, after vainly searching all the other directions 
myself. I sent two others after Yoosaf on horse- 
back with nosebags, and food for the men. Pres- 
tntly comes Hayward’s Argoon, saying Hayward’s 
white horse is dead, and my two went past Cha- 
dartash at daybreak ! I scolded him for not turn- 
ing them (Hayward suggested in a note that I 


CROSSING THE KARAKORAM TASS. 


351 


should give him a flogging). I also gave him a 
few spare nails, Hayward not having a sufhrient 
supply for his horses’ shoes. 

“The following day I was still obliged to halt, 
as neither men nor horses have turned up. It was 
a frightful trial of patience. I counted remains of 
eighteen horses lying about the camping-ground 
within a radius of 100 yards. 

“ All along the road at every few hundred yards 
you find a skeleton, while the halting-places are 
crowded With them. At night we hear the howl- 
ing of wolves who haunt this road. They are 
probably now expecting the opening of the horse 
season. 

“The boy Abdulla came back at 3 P. M., saying 
he had followed the tracks of the mules, &c., 
nearly to Chibra. Yoosaf had evidently, from the 
tracks, tried several times to catch her, but in 
vain. They must all have gone over the Pass, 
where they will come across my caravan, &c. I 
determined to start to-morrow in any case, if 
possible.” 


“ Here ends my diary, for the difficulties of the 
road left me no more leisure, even to jot down a 
few lines at night. 

“The Toorkee boy, Yoosaf, who started on the 
tracks of my mule and horse which ran off from 
Kiziltagh on the 27th, followed them most pluckily 
over that high desert plain. It was not till the 
next day that he rode in, half famished, to the 
camp of some of my servants, sixty miles back at 


352 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


Shahidoolla, who were coming after me, and who 
had already caught the horse and mule. 

“ I have mentioned the parallel ridges of moun- 
tains about the Karakoram Pass, which are like an 
army in column. As you progress through them 
by the broad valleys which separate them, you 
find that they diminish in height, and gradually 
sink below the lines of perpetual snow, with the 
exception of isolated peaks which rise above it. 
The valleys keep on rising, but never at a steeper 
gradient than you could drive a carriage up. At 
last you come to a ridge barring the way, and 
looking no higher than a railway embankment, 
though it may perhaps be a couple of hundred feet 
high. This ridge constitutes the Karakoram Pass, 
which seems rather like a lip by which some 
ancient lake may have discharged itself, than what 
we understand by a mountain pass. The so-called 
Karakoram Ratige might better be described as 
the raised edge of a basin, or the culminating part 
of an irregular plateau, than as a chain of moun- 
tains. The descent on the south side is greater, 
but you can hardly believe yourself to be on the 
watershed between the great river-system which 
flows into the Indian Ocean and that which runs 
eastward towards China. The heights on either 
side nowhere rise beyond the dignity of hills, and 
there is no perpetual snow at hand, though the 
Karakoram is 18,000 feet above the sea. The road 
is marked with skeletons of horses ; th'^ rarity of 
the atmosphere and the absence of grass for many 
days’ journey causing a mortality among the beasts 


CJ^OSS/iVG THE KARAKORAM PASS. 


353 


ofburthen which hardly seems to be justified by 
the amount of inconvenience which the traveller 
himself experiences. 

“ At the distance of a day’s march south of the 
pass, you come in sight of a range of real glacier 
mountains. The Shayoh River, one of the sources 
of the Indus, rises in a perfect ocean of ice, far 
more worthy of that name than the Mer de Glace 
of Chamounix, which is rather an ice river than a 
sea. Two glaciers, coming down from stupendous 
peaks, unite and overflow a large plain with their 
blue waves. It is worth a journey from England 
merely to see this place. The plain, barren as it 
seems, is frequented by Tibetan antelopes, with 
their slender lyre-shaped horns, the most elegant 
of their species. Terraces and other marks of the 
former existence of a lake extend to a height of 
200 feet up the sides of this plain and of the gorge 
by which the stream escapes. There are the 
marks of a lake which has repeatedly been formed 
here by the glaciers blocking up the ravine below, 
and which caused such devastation by the cata- 
clysm of 1841. But I think the marks are too con- 
siderable to have been formed during the short 
existence of recent lakes, and rather point to re- 
peated phenomena of the same sort in earlier times. 
This, if true, is very interesting. 

“But directly after this you leave the high pla- 
teaux and rounded downs which are the character- 
istics of the country, and follow the river down 
into the narrow gorges of the mountains. You 
have reached the broken edge of the table-land. 


354 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


So narrow was the ravine we entered that the 
river had to be forded and re-forded at every turn, 
the way being constantly closed by its windings. 

“ The most difficult of these fords was caused by 
a huge glacier called Koomdan, whose nose pro- 
truded from a side valley, with pinnacles and seracs, 
some of which were quite 200 feet high, glistening 
like sugar. I had ridden half across the stream 
when my horse seemed to fall, as if he had broken 
through a sheet of ice. I was soon on my legs in 
the bitterly cold water, and on looking round saw 
all the horses floundering for their lives, like a 
shoal of fish in shallow water. We had got into a 
quicksand ! Most of us reached the shore with a 
little difficulty, but two of the horses had got more 
involved ; their loads were washed loose by the 
torrent, and they themselves lay exhausted and 
panting on their sides (for the actual water was 
here not more than two feet deep), with their heads 
gradually sinking below the stream. The sand 
which engulfed a horse was firm enough to support 
a man, and we were able with some trouble to 
hold the horses’ heads above water, while they 
were being released from their loads and dragged 
ashore. Even when on dry land, they still lay 
exhausted on their sides, with their teeth firmly 
closed, blood oozing from their noses, and trem- 
bling in every limb. I have frequently noticed the 
presence of quicksands in proximity to glaciers 
which reach a low-level, and of the ice-beds de- 
scribed above. 

“ Some three miles below this, another glacier 


CROSSING THE KARAKORAM PASS. 355 

blocked the way. After careful examination we 
discovered that the passage was entirely closed 
for horses, as the ice had in the last three months* 
advanced as far as the opposite cliffs, tremendous 
lime-stone precipices, while the river forced its 
way under it through a kind of tunnel. To make 
matters worse, it began to snow, and my servants, 
already wet through in fording the ice-cold water, 
sat down like natives to bemoan their fate and die. 
Moreover, night was coming on ; so there was 
nothing for it but to halt. No grass could be 
discovered, and our supply of grain for the horses 
would only hold out another day, by which time 
we had hoped to reach a pasture ground. Now, 
however, this was impossible. The baggage had 
all to be left on this spot to be fetched hereafter, 
and the next day horses were sent round by a five 
days’ detour over the mountains, dependent on a 
little of the men’s rice for food. Being anxious to 
reach an inhabited place, so as to send off news ot 
my safety, after eight months’ silence, I started 
with two men to cross the obstacle, leaving tents, 
bedding, cooking things, and everything else 
behind. 

“ After passing the glacier, we had again to ford 
the river, but this time on foot. It was coming 
down full of huge blocks of ice, which fell from the 
roof of the glacier-tunnel, alternately blocking it 
up, and again being swept away by its force! 
Choosing a moment when the tunnel was blocked 


Since the passage of one of my guides, three montlis before. 


356 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


and the water shallow, we pushed in to the water. 
Before we were half-way across a rushing sound 
made us look round, and we saw a mighty ice- 
laden flood sweeping down upon us. A rock in 
mid-water formed our only refuge. We scrambled 
on to it and were but just in time, for Tashee was 
knocked on to his knees by one of the foremost 
blocks as I was helping him out of the water. 

“ The rock was but a low one, and as the waters 
raged around us, piling up blocks of ice on each side 
and gradually rising higher and higher, I foresaw 
the moment when it would be sweeping clear over 
our place of refuge ! We spent a ‘ mauvais quart- 
d'-Jieure!' When the level of the stream was not 
more than a foot lower than the highest part of 
our rock its rise was stayed, and presently it began 
to abate, the ice blocks ceasing. I roused my 
companions, and we hurried through the remain- 
ing stream. Before we had left the spot another 
flood came down, and this time we saw our friendly 
rock hidden under a surging tide of huge ice-blocks. 
Some of them must have been over a ton in 
weight ! 

“ Drenched in the icy waters, we had to spend 
the night lying on the least windy side of a large 
stone, \mder the shadow, as it were, of the huge 
glacier cliffs, whose pinnacles and ‘ seracs ’ shot 
up 200 feet against the sky. The next night, at an 
elevation of over 16,000 feet, I found a hole in the 
rock in which I could curl myself up, while a water- 
proof sheet spread across the entrance kept out 
the falling snow. The next day we crossed the 


THE END OF THE JOURNEY. 


357 


Sasser Pass, over vast fields of yielding snow, in 
which one sank up to the thigh at every fifth or 
sixth step. Here my guide gave in, being struck 
with snow blindness, and I had to lead the way by 
compass. We had eight hours of this work through 
snow, and the night was falling as we left it 
behind us. Misled by the guide, and hoping to 
reach an inhabited place, we held on till midnight, 
when we had again to lie down on the leeward side 
of a stone not three feet high. But this time we 
had no food at all. 

“ Starting again at dawn with our throats feeling 
like iron, and our feet like lead, we reached a 
Tibetan shepherd’s hut after ten miles’ walk, and 
thought the milk and barley-meal which he gave 
us the finest food in the world. 

“ We had here arrived in the British dependen- 
cies, having crossed the Karakoram and Sasser 
Passes, first explored by Dr. Thomson. The coun- 
try beyond this is known to our surveyors and our 
sportsmen, though the latter seldom penetrate to 
the Karakoram. I will now, therefore, close this 
account of my journey, for I considered that I had 
almost reached home when I crossed that imagi- 
nary red line, which, after at first modestly sur- 
rounding a few factories on the coast, has now 
reached its farthest extension among the snows 
and high plateaux of the Karakoram, the water- 
shed between India and Central Asia.” 


Early in 1870, after his return to England from 
this most daring and successful journey, Mr. Shaw 


358 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


was appointed by the Government as one of a 
commission to be dispatched on a friendly mission 
to the Atalik-Ghazee. He therefore immediately 
returned to India, joined the other members of the 
party in Tibet, and in company with them made a 
second visit to Yarkand. Mr. Forsythe, formerly 
British Resident at Leh,was one of the party, and 
his observations of the latitude, longitude and 
elevation of various points in Central Asia, together 
with those made by Mr. Hayward, have materially 
corrected our former geography of those regions. 
The map accompanying this volume is copied 
from one drawn by Dr. Petermann, the dis- 
tinguished geographer, according to Hayward’s 
and other recent measurements, and is therefore 
entirely to be relied upon, so far as the explora- 
tions have extended. 

Some reports of the second expedition, both by 
Mr. Shaw and Mr. Forsythe, have been published 
in the proceedings of the Royal Geographical 
Society ; but no narrative has yet appeared. Mr. 
Hayward, from whose reports so much was ex- 
pected, was murdered early in 1870, at the foot of 
the Darkot pass, in Chitral, a region hitherto 
unvisited by any European, lying beyond Gilgit, 
towards the sources of the Oxus, not far from the 
point where the Belor Dagh, the Hindoo Koosh 
and the Mag Dagh (or Karakoram) chains unite 
s.ad form the great table-land of Pamir. 


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A l'EU.>IAN SLAVE 



POSTCRIPT TO CENTRAL ASIA. 


THE CONQUEST OF KHIVA. 

^''HE early months of the current year (1873) 
^ witnessed the successful invasion of Western 
Turkestan by the arms of Russia, as predicted in 
Chapter I. Though the territory thus added to 
the dominion of the Czar lies without the region 
to which this volume is devoted, the importance 
of the conquest, as regards both the present 
political and social condition of Turkestan, and 
the future development of Russian policy in 
Central Asia, fully justifies the addition here of 
a brief chapter touching its conception and con- 
duct. 

Russia’s method of absorbing the territory of 
her Asiatic neighbors is well known. It is the 
old story of the wolf and the lamb and the mud- 
died stream, only in this case the lamb is a wolf, 
and the wolf a bear. The stronger disturbs the 
stream, blames, then devours the weaker. 

Professedly seeking only a peaceful and civilizing 
influence among the half-civiIized tribes along her 
borders, Russia persistently advances her power, 


36 o 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


chiefly under the cover of commercial treaties, 
Vv^hich, if rejected or broken, are speedily followed 
by more stringent measures for the protection of 
trade. By such tactics trie Khanat of Kokand, in 
the rich valley of the Syr Daria, has lately been 
brought under the dominion of the Empire ; while 
Poki.'ara and even more distant states have been 
forced to reconcile themselves to “ friendly” inter- 
course with her. Khiva, however, had persisted in 
maintaining a hostile attitude. It preferred rob- 
bery to legitimate commerce, and would not 
abandon its predatory habits. Bands of maraud- 
ing Khivans overran their Kirghes neighbors who 
were under the protection of Russia. Khivan 
emissaries enticed the Kirghes to rebel against 
their protectors ; and in the diplomatic inter- 
course which ensued the Khivan government was 
capricious and disrespectful in its treatment of the 
Governor-General of Russian Turkestan. 

For these and other similar reasons Russia 
claims that it could not do otherwise than take 
vigorous measures to bring the contumacious 
government and people to reason — in other words, 
^make a new attempt to carry out certain designs 
against Khiva which Russia has cherished for 
nearly two centuries. 

The first essay toward the annexation of Khiva 
was made as early as 1717 by Peter the Great, in 
response, it was said, to repeated application made 
by the Khivan rulers, Shah Niazand his successor, 
to take the Khanat under Russian protection. 
An expedi ion well planned but badly commanded 


THE CONQUEST OF KHIVA. 36 1 

was dispatched from the mouth of the Ural, and 
after a successful march almost to the gates of 
Khiva, was entrapped by specious professions of 
friendship and submission, and every man treache- 
rously put to death. 

The great events which agitated not only Russia 
but the whole of Europe during the ensuing 
century gave the Khivans a long respite from 
Russian vengeance. 

In 1839 a second expedition was sent against 
the Khanat, but it proved a disastrous failure. 

The campaign just ended by the fall of Khiva 
was projected toward the close of 1872. The 
following spring three columns of invasion were 
organized ; one to start from the south-eastern 
extremity of the Caspian Sea, near the mouth of 
the river Atrek, and attack the Khanat from the 
west ; another to march from Orenburg around 
the northern shore of the Caspian, across the 
country by the sea of Aral to Kungrad, and enter 
the Khanat from the north ; the third, under the 
command of the Governor-General of Russian 
Turkestan, to leave the neighborhood of Tashkend 
and assail the Khivans from the east ; the several 
detachments to unite before Khiva and pass under 
the superior command of General Kaufmann, the 
leader of the division from the east. 

But two of the three armies took active part in 
the campaign. The column which left Tchikish- 
lar near the Atrek made a gallant but vain 
struggle with heat and thirst for several weeks, 
but men and animals succumbed to the burning 


3^2 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


climate, and too weak to return to the place of 
starting, were taken to Krasnoodsk, near the 
ancient mouth of the Oxus, where they arrived in 
a miserable condition toward the last of May. 
Though defeated by the elements, this detachment 
contributed not a little to the successful issue of 
the invasion by preventing the Khivans from 
recruiting their ranks from the warlike tribes of 
the south-western steppes. 

The Orenburg detachment arrived at Kungrad 
in the latter part of May. The Khivans made a 
stand at Chudjeili, but were defeated and fled 
southward, hotly pursued by the Russians, until 
they reached the fortress of Mangyt. They were 
again defeated on the ist of June, and were re- 
treating toward their capital when it fell before 
the successful advance of the division under 
General Kaufmann, which after a severe march and 
much fighting had crossed between the deserts of 
Kyzyl Kum and Batkak Kum, and entered the 
Khanat from the north-east. 

As the victorious Russians approached the 
capital, the Khan sent messages announcing his 
intention to surrender both the city and the entire 
Khanat, but fled without waiting for a reply. The 
gates of the city were thrown open and the 
Russians entered, on the lOth of June, without 
giving a shot. 

The next day being the anniversary of the birth 
of Peter the Great, divine service was performed 
with imposing ceremony on the public square of 
the conquered city, in honor of the great Czar, 


THE CONQUEST OF KHIVA. 363 

the first to attempt the conquest then completed, 
and in memory of the Russian soldiers fallen in 
the several Khivan campaigns. 

Soon recovering from his fright, the Khan 
returned to his fallen capital, accompanied by his 
chief ministers, and formally tendered his submis- 
sion. In accordance with Russian usage he was 
restored to his position as ruler, a Russian council 
of administration being appointed for the period 
of Russian occupation. 

Khiva fallen, the question at once arises, What 
will Russia do with it t 

From the inception of the campaign the Rus- 
sian government has protested that the perma- 
nent occupation of the Khanat was in no way 
contemplated ; that the country would be promptly 
evacuated as soon as the offending people had 
learned the lesson the expedition was intended to 
convey. The history of Russian conquest in Asia 
shows how such professions are to be understood. 
As observed by an English military critic, while 
the expedition was yet toiling over the burning 
steppes, Russia does nothing hurriedly. Having 
captured Khiva, she may remain there for years, 
always professing her intention to retire in a 
short time, but busily occupied all the while in 
preparations for an advance. This has been her 
strategy all along ; and thus her frontier has been 
steadily pushed forward. 

Already the semi-official papers of the Empire 
are taking pains to show that the objects of the 
campaign will be only half achieved so long as 


364 


CENTRAL ASIA. 


the disorderly tribes of Khiva are allowed to hold 
their place. The remedy suggested is a whole- 
sale transplanting of them to Siberia, and the 
substitution of some more orderly and industrious 
people, who will turn the natural riches of the 
country to better account. This is Russian stra- 
tegy also. Certainly the occupation of the valley 
of the Oxus by a colony of trusty Russians would 
be of immense adv^antage to the Empire in the 
prosecution of her designs upon Central Asia. If 
the Khivans are intractable, they will have to give 
way ; it is probable, however, that they will 
prefer to submit to the relatively liberal admin- 
istrative system applied to all the states recently 
annexed, and gradually learn a more civilized 
style of living. 

The Khanat of Khiva occupies the region 
around the lower valley of the Amu Daria — the 
ancient Oxus — the principal river of Turkestan. 
Very little is known of the country, and for that 
little we are indebted chiefly to the adventurous 
Vamberg, who visited Khiva in the disguise of a 
dervish. Wherever watered by canals from the 
river, the soil is extremely productive ; beyond, on 
every side are barren steppes, traversed by few 
lines of travel, and overrun by fierce nomadic tribes. 
The people of the towns are degenerate followers 
of Mohammed, ignorant, bigoted and brutal. 

Next to a debased religion, the heaviest curse 
upon the people of this region has been an atro- 
cious system of slavery, the cause of endless war- 
fare, poverty and misery This, thanks to Rus- 


THE CONQUEST OF KHIVA. 


365 


sian coiiquest, is at an end. The Russians were 
scarcely established in Khiva when the Khan, “as 
a mark of gratitude for the consideration shown 
him,” promulgated a decree abolishing slavery for- 
ever. Many thousand Persian captives were thus 
set free from the worst of bondage, to remain 
as Khivan citizens or return at will to their own 
homes. 








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